Promise of a Lifetime
by alb33
Summary: Scarlett and the Weasley twins were once incredibly close. So close, in fact, that Charlie encouraged nine year olds Fred and Scarlett to make an Unbreakable Vow to get married by the time they turn twenty. To make matters worse, their memories were modified, they grew apart after the death of Scarlett's father, and they now both like other people. How will they handle the news?
1. Chapter 1

_"Curiosity often leads to trouble."_

–**Alice (Alice in Wonderland)**

* * *

"Anyone home?" Charlie Weasley threw open the front door of the Burrow and set his things down. He waited a few seconds and then smiled as he heard the familiar sound of footsteps running down the stairs.

"Charlie!" His mother flew out of the kitchen, Mr. Weasley in tow, and threw her arms around her son. Over her shoulder, Charlie could see his siblings gathering around the bottom of the staircase, eagerly awaiting their turn to hug him.

"Bill still in Egypt?" he asked as he hugged his father and siblings one by one.

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley nodded. "He's been trying to get a job at Gringotts. Hopefully soon…" she trailed off and shook her head. Charlie nodded. He knew it was getting bad. That was part of what had made him come home. He suspected as much as anyone that a war was coming and if he was going to tell his parents what he had to tell them, it was now before things got any worse.

"And Percy?" Charlie asked. "What about him?" He was almost afraid to ask. He had heard about the rocky relationship that Percy had with the rest of the family and his absence now made Charlie nervous.

Mrs. Weasley's lip quivered and tears came to her eyes so it was Mr. Weasley who answered the question. "He left a few weeks ago."

"He got into a huge argument with dad," Ginny said, crossing her arms, "then he just left."

"He's siding with the Ministry?" Charlie deducted.

Everyone solemnly nodded their heads. "For someone so smart, it was a dumb decision," Fred said.

"Now, Fred," Mrs. Weasley began, but Fred gave her a look that said _you know it's true_ so she trailed off and sighed. "We're going to Grimmauld Place in a week or two," she added after a moment.

"For what?" Charlie raised his eyebrows.

"It's headquarters," Mrs. Weasley whispered. "For the Order. No one can track us down while we're there. It's safer for all of us. Especially Harry. He'll be going there as well as soon as we can settle on a date to get him."

Charlie nodded. "Well, I won't be staying very long; just a few days."

"And look at us," Mrs. Weasley said, wiping her teary eyes. "You just got here and we're bombarding you with all of the bad news."

"No, I don't mind," Charlie said, "I needed to know anyway."

"Come sit down. I'll make you some tea. What about food? Do you want anything? Are you hungry?"

"Starving, actually," Charlie admitted.

"Yeah, Apparating here from Romania in two seconds can really do that to you," George said, rolling his eyes and smirking.

"No, living off of food that isn't from home or Hogwarts will do that to you," Charlie corrected, smiling and lightly punching George's arm as he headed for the kitchen.

"Fair point," George replied, shrugging and grinning.

Mrs. Weasley sat Charlie down at the table and busied herself around the kitchen.

"How are the dragons?" Ron asked. He always liked to hear stories about the dragons Charlie worked with.

"I think the more important question is why did you decide to come visit, Char?" Fred asked.

"Not that we don't want you here," George continued.

"But we'd like to know the reasoning behind this unexpected visit," Fred finished. "Did you miss us that much?"

Charlie smiled. "I didn't miss you one bit, actually."

"Aha, I didn't think so," George said.

"No, of course I missed everyone but there's just something I have to talk to mum and dad about."

Mr. Weasley looked up in alarm and Mrs. Weasley turned from her spot at the stove.

"It's not bad news," Charlie said. "Not technically at least. I just have to talk to you. Alone." He sent an apologetic look at his siblings.

"Why can't we stay?" Ginny protested as Mrs. Weasley gave them a small nod, telling them to leave.

"We're of age!" Fred and George cried.

"Oh, please, that's your reasoning for everything," Mrs. Weasley answered.

"Because it's the truth and you never tell us anything!"

"Fred!"

"If it has to do with Harry-," Ron began.

"No, it's not Harry," Charlie said. "How would I have any news on Harry that you don't already have? I've been in Romania."

"I don't know, I just figured I'd ask," Ron mumbled.

"Go outside or upstairs just for a little while," Mrs. Weasley said gently. "After this, you can have Charlie all to yourself."

"That's not what this is about," Fred said.

"Fred please," Mrs. Weasley said, "Just go. And don't even think about using those Extendable Ears!" she called as Fred, George, Ron and Ginny headed for the door. As soon as it shut behind them, Mrs. Weasley put an Imperturbable Charm over the door. "Just in case," she said.

"Okay, Charlie, what's all of this about?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Okay, okay," he said. He took a deep breath. "Remember the Christmas break when I was fifteen and Bill was seventeen?"

"That was the holiday when Scarlett Callaway and her family spent the day with us, wasn't it?" Mrs. Weasley asked. She set a plate of food in front of Charlie and took a seat across from him and next to Mr. Weasley

"Yes, I believe it was," Mr. Weasley said.

"Whatever happened to her and her family?" Charlie asked curiously after a short pause. "We were very close to them back then."

Mrs. Weasley's expression changed to one of sadness. "Mark, Scarlett's dad, died when Scarlett was nine. He was a Muggle, remember? And he was in a car accident. Scarlett and her mother moved to a different area and we lost touch. It's a shame, though. Scarlett was so close to Fred and George. She's at Hogwarts, of course, but I don't really think they're friends…" she trailed off and looked at her hands.

Charlie took the opportunity to speak up again. "That's what I have to tell you. It has to do with Scarlett and Fred."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shared a look but didn't say anything.

"That Christmas," Charlie continued, "I wanted to play around with some advanced magic that was in Bill's textbooks. It was Christmas holidays, not summer and everyone around besides me and Percy were either of age or below Hogwarts age so I figured the trace wouldn't be picked up, since things were usually more relaxed around Christmas time. I ended up being right and the magic was never picked up. Anyway, Scarlett and Fred were playing hide and seek with George. George was hiding and Scarlett and Fred had just about given up looking for him, so I grabbed them to practice magic on."

"What?" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"They were only nine at the time. They didn't know better," Charlie said.

"But _you_-,"

"Should have known, yes, I'm aware. Anyway, I saw something in Bill's textbook about an Unbreakable Vow."

"Oh no," Mrs. Weasley said, bringing her hands to her mouth. Mr. Weasley's eyes widened almost comically. He clearly hadn't expected that part of the news.

"I think Scarlett and Fred kind of, I don't know, liked each other when they were younger. A little kid crush, you know? They were so close that I guess they just wanted to always be that way. So they went and chose to vow to grow up and get married by the time Scarlett turned twenty. Anyway, I went ahead and did it." Charlie felt himself grow pale. "Scarlett and Fred have to get married in two and a half years. By the exact time Scarlett turns twenty and no later."

His words were met with complete and total silence. After a moment, Mrs. Weasley burst into disbelieving laughter. "I can't believe it," she said.

"I thought it would be cute to set them up," Charlie said quickly.

"Cute? They were nine!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "And you didn't set them up! You made it so they _have_ to get married!"

"Why didn't you tell us immediately instead of waiting, what, eight years?" Mr. Weasley asked. He looked angry and that frightened Charlie. His father usually left the anger up to Mrs. Weasley.

"Well, I didn't tell you because I was scared to and here's the other thing," Charlie said. "Bill found out and modified Fred and Scarlett's memories so they wouldn't remember. That way we could ease them into it when they got older. I convinced him to do it and made him promise not to tell you. I said I would do it since I created the mess."

"Yeah, you created a mess alright," Mr. Weasley said, leaning back in his chair.

"And how could easing them into it possibly be a good idea? Mrs. Weasley asked. "If we had known right away, we could have arranged something so that Fred and Scarlett never grew apart."

"Why did you decide to come back now and tell us?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Bill contacted me. He said that if I didn't tell you soon, then he would. He said it had gone on long enough."

"Yes, I agree," Mrs. Weasley sniffed angrily. "I'll be writing to Bill, too, and having a talk with him."

"It's not his fault as much as it is mine," Charlie said. "Go easy on him, okay?"

"Don't tell me how to discipline my children," Mrs. Weasley said. She stood up and started moving around the kitchen again, slamming cabinets angrily.

Charlie suddenly felt even guiltier than he already did. "I don't know what I was thinking," he mumbled.

"So, Fred and Scarlett haven't truly spoken in years," Mrs. Weasley began. "They've grown apart and now we have to tell them they have to get married in a little under three years."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Charlie answered.

"You still could have told us sooner. Even if you didn't tell us right away, it would have bought us more time." Mr. Weasley looked at his son seriously.

"How much time do you need?" Charlie asked. "It'll take two seconds to tell them."

"Oh, Charlie," Mrs. Weasley sighed, turning to face him, "don't you think they deserve the opportunity to fall in love and more importantly, get reacquainted before they get married?"

"Yeah, we can't spring this on them in such short notice," Mr. Weasley agreed. "They'll need time to process it and adjust."

"I didn't think about that," Charlie admitted.

"How do you think they'll react?" Mrs. Weasley asked, directing the question towards her husband.

"Well, I can't really be sure about Scarlett, but Fred probably won't take it too well. Not at first, anyway. I mean, how would you react? It's going to take some getting used to for everyone."

"So how do we handle this?" Charlie asked.

"Well, I suppose we can have Scarlett and her mother over for dinner. We can tell them we wanted to get back in touch," Mr. Weasley began.

"No," Mrs. Weasley said. "We should tell Scarlett's mother right away. Then we could have the two of them over for dinner to break the news to Scarlett and Fred."

"Okay," Mr. Weasley agreed. "We'll have to do it before we go to Grimmauld Place, though."

Mrs. Weasley shook her head as a look of realization dawned on her face. "We can't do that. Tell them and then drag Fred away and leave them with no contact until school starts? We just said we need as much time as we can get. No, we're going to have to bring Scarlett and Jenna to Grimmauld Place with us," she whispered.

Mr. Weasley rubbed a hand over his face. "Okay, I'll get in contact with Mad Eye, Kingsley and Sirius. Molly, you write to Jenna. Tell her what's going on and tell her to come to Grimmauld Place next week with Scarlett."

"I can't tell her in a _letter_! That's so-,"

"Molly," Mr. Weasley said quietly.

Mrs. Weasley nodded and stood up, heading for the kitchen door. She took off the charm covering the door and flung it open. Fred, George, Ron and Ginny toppled over from pressing their ears as well as the Extendable Ears to the door. "Thank goodness for Imperturbable Charms," Mrs. Weasley muttered before hurrying away.

* * *

**A/N: So I started writing this story almost a year ago and I wasn't going to post it just yet because I'm still working on it and working out a few things, but then I decided it couldn't hurt to start posting it now. **

**There are going to be references to classic stories and fairy tales (including Disney versions) throughout the story so see if you can spot them. I'm thinking of posting a list of them at the end of the story, too.**

**Disclaimer: If JK Rowling wrote it, I don't own it.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

"_Goodbye may seem forever. Farewell is like the end. But in my heart's a memory and there you'll always be."_

**-The Fox and the Hound**

* * *

"Mum, I don't see why we have to do this," Scarlett Callaway complained. She was in her mother's room, lying across the bed and staring at the ceiling. Her straight, long, blondish-brown hair was fanned out around her head.

"Are you done packing?" Jenna, Scarlett's mother, sounded slightly panicked as she rushed around the room, packing last minute things.

"No, I haven't even started. I've told you I don't want to go."

"Not packing isn't going to change the fact that we _are_ going," her mother said. "We're leaving in an hour whether you like it or not."

"I just don't understand why we have to go shut ourselves up in that place for a reason they won't even tell us." When her mother didn't answer, Scarlett looked up to see her biting her lip—her nervous habit. "You know something!" Scarlett sat up quickly and stared at her mother.

"No, why do you think that?"

"You're biting your lip. You're nervous because you know why we have to go."

"No, I'm just nervous about packing."

"Nervous about packing?" Scarlett asked. "Yeah, okay, mum. I'm not buying it."

"Watch your tone." Her mother gave her a stern look and Scarlett shut up for a few minutes.

"I don't want to go," she said finally.

"You used to love playing with Fred and George when you were a kid. You would even play with Ron and Ginny sometimes."

"Yeah, that was years ago," Scarlett said. "I don't talk to any of them anymore. That's why it's so weird that we have to go. Plus, don't you know how awkward it'll be?"

"I'm sure it won't be," her mother insisted gently. "But why don't you talk anymore? I know we moved further away from them, but you started Hogwarts with the twins only two years later."

"Yeah, two years is enough to do damage. We lost touch and after we moved it's not like I could have Apparated on my own and you were busy. You had to take over a lot of things after dad died. I wasn't going to make you bring me over to the Burrow all the time. Plus, for a while after the accident I didn't want to see anyone. You know that."

"Scarlett," her mother said, "I would have gladly brought you to the Burrow if you had asked."

Scarlett shrugged. "It doesn't matter anymore. That was eight years ago."

"Look," her mother sighed, "we'll all talk tonight once we get there and we're all settled in. For now, can you just pack and get ready to go?"

"What if they don't actually want us there?" Scarlett asked. "What if they don't like me anymore?"

"Don't be silly. They do want us there and of course they still like you. Don't worry about a thing. They're nice people, the Weasleys. They haven't changed. I promise they're still the same people you remember."

"So Fred and George are still trick-playing, crazy children on a never-ending sugar high?"

"I-," her mother began, but Scarlett plowed on.

"And they can still communicate through looks leaving other people confused? And get a laugh out of coloring on people's faces with permanent marker while they sleep?"

"Er, most likely," her mother said, trying to stifle a laugh. "Oh, honey," she said when she saw the look on her daughter's face. "I managed to get the marker off."

"Yeah, but that doesn't erase the fact that they did it," Scarlett said, but she could feel a laugh coming on as well. Now that she was looking back on it, the incident _had _been kind of funny. At the time, she had been furious. She had actually attempted to chase Fred and George around the house with the marker, but had been stopped by her mother.

"You had fun with them, too, if you remember," her mother said. "Fred taught you how to play chess, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Scarlett smirked, "and then he sulked the first time I won a game against him."

"And you taught them a fair amount of Muggle games, didn't you?"

Scarlett nodded. "We _did _used to have a lot of fun. And I _did_ miss them for a while."

"You don't anymore?"

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just got used to being apart from them."

Her mother smiled softly before walking over and kissing her daughter's forehead. "Go pack," she said quietly.

Scarlett nodded and left the room without another word.

* * *

"Mum," Fred said as he thundered down the stairs, "did you wash that t-shirt with the Hogwarts crest on it?"

"Yes, isn't it George's?"

"No, it's mine. I have the short sleeved one. George's is long sleeved."

"Oh, well they're close enough to get me confused," Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Anyway, go ask George. I'm sure he has it."

Fred nodded, but paused as he turned to go. "Mum, why did you invite Scarlett and her mum to Grimmauld Place?"

"I'm surprised you didn't ask me that sooner," Mrs. Weasley said.

"You only told us this morning," Fred said. "I was too tired and things were too hectic to ask. Now that I've had the chance to think about it, though, it's weird. And the short notice only makes it weirder."

"It's not weird," Mrs. Weasley said as she finished folding the laundry in front of her.

"Yes it is," Fred argued. "I haven't spoken to Scarlett since I was nine."

"At all?" Mrs. Weasley asked curiously, sounding slightly nervous.

"No, not really. I mean we've done the whole awkward smile-and-wave thing a few times, but the truth is that we aren't exactly friends anymore. I hardly see her in school. She's a Hufflepuff and the only class I've ever had with her is Herbology."

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley said faintly.

"Why?" Fred asked. "I don't understand what this is all about."

"We'll talk tonight," Mrs. Weasley said, "once we get settled in. For now, can you please just go with it?"

"This has to do with what Charlie told you, doesn't it?"

"Fred, just go pack. We need to leave in twenty minutes."

Sighing, Fred took the stairs to his room two at a time. "Something's going on," he said to George as he flopped down on his bed.

"Why, because of Scarlett and her mother coming to Grimmauld Place?" George asked.

"Yeah, we haven't spoken to her in eight years and then mum and dad invite her and her mother to Grimmauld Place."

"Maybe they're in danger," George suggested. "Scarlett's dad was a Muggle, wasn't he? So Scarlett's a half-blood."

"So? Half-bloods aren't in danger, really. Things are only going to get worse for Muggleborns and…blood traitors." Fred nearly whispered the last few words.

"Things are going to get worse for everyone who doesn't support You-Know-Who," George said. "Plus, Scarlett's family may not actually _be _blood traitors but aren't they as good as in You-Know-Who's eyes? Scarlett's mum married a Muggle. To the Death Eaters it's considered gross or something, isn't it?"

"I don't know. I guess. The way those people think is too disgusting for me to handle," Fred groaned. "Anyway, we haven't talked to Scarlett in years. I'm kind of nervous to see her again."

"You've seen her at school," George pointed out.

"Yeah, but I haven't spoken to her. We're older now. Things might not just go back to how they were when we were nine."

"I'm sure she's just as nervous about seeing us again," George said reasonably.

"Maybe," Fred sighed. There was a pause. "Now that I think about it, I've missed her."

"Me too," George agreed. "She was fun to be around."

Fred nodded. "Oh, by the way, mum said she accidentally gave you my-,"

"Here, take it," George said with a smile as he tossed the shirt at Fred.

"Thanks." Fred stood up and stuck the shirt inside his trunk before running a hand through his hair. "I guess we're ready now."

"Yeah, ready to shut ourselves inside of 'headquarters'," George muttered.

Fred took a deep breath. "Let's do it."


	3. Chapter 3

"_We don't like what we don't understand. In fact it scares us." _

–**The Villagers (Beauty and the Beast)**

* * *

Scarlett stepped out of the green flames and looked around, dragging her trunk to her side and reaching up to push her hair out of her eyes. Her mother stepped out soon after and smiled warmly.

"Try to relax," she said. "I know you're nervous, but everything will be fine."

Scarlett simply nodded before stepping further into the narrow room. It was obviously a kitchen, with a long wooden table in the middle, a sink, counter space and even a pantry that looked pretty well stocked. It was a dim room and if it was any indication of how old the house was, well, the house definitely wasn't new.

"I know it's a little…" Scarlett's mother began.

"Dim? Gross? Not our house?" Scarlett asked, giving her mother a perplexed look.

"Scarlett, it's not _gross_, it's just old."

"Yeah, I'll say. It looks older than Great Grandma Martha and she's what, a hundred and two?"

"Scarlett," her mother warned. There was a pause. "And she's a hundred and one."

"Close enough," Scarlett shrugged.

"Will you stop acting like that?"

"Like what?"

"I know you're nervous," her mother plowed on, ignoring Scarlett's question, "and I know you don't quite understand why we're here but staying here won't be so bad and you will understand eventually."

Scarlett didn't answer. "Where is everyone?" she finally asked. "It's oddly quiet in here."

The words had just barely escaped her mouth when there was suddenly the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. A short redheaded woman appeared, followed by a tall man, also with red hair. Scarlett smiled. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hadn't changed a bit.

"Jenna!" Mrs. Weasley nearly yelled. "It's been so long." She pulled Scarlett's mother into a hug, leaving Scarlett and Mr. Weasley staring at each other.

"Hi, it's good to see you," Scarlett said politely.

"It's good to see you too," Mr. Weasley said. He smiled and hugged Scarlett, which surprised her.

"Oh, and Scarlett!" Mrs. Weasley gasped, grabbing Scarlett in a tight hug the second she had been released by Mr. Weasley. "You've gotten so pretty! Not that you weren't pretty before, but I haven't seen you since you were a little girl!" She grinned at her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Scarlett said, "how are you?"

"I'm doing just fine, considering how bad things are getting," Mrs. Weasley said with a sigh and a shrug. A second later, though, she broke into another grin. "Oh, come here," she said, grabbing Scarlett into another death grip of a hug.

"Don't squeeze the life out of her, Mum," said a voice from the doorway. "Let her breathe."

Scarlett broke away from Mrs. Weasley and looked towards the sound of the voice. Fred Weasley was standing there, leaning against the wall, arms crossed and wearing the smirk he had had even at age nine. Scarlett found herself feeling glad and slightly proud that she hadn't lost her ability to tell the twins apart. She honestly had expected to not have a clue.

"Fred," Mrs. Weasley said. "You remember Scarlett, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Fred answered, pushing off the wall and walking over to join them. "We used to dig in the backyard for worms when we were what, six? Seven?"

"I remember that and I can't believe I actually thought it was entertaining," Scarlett said with a half-smile.

"Well, you did," Fred said, smiling.

Everyone stood in silence for a few moments until Mr. Weasley cleared his throat nervously. "Well then, Molly, do you want to show Jenna and Scarlett where they'll be sleeping?"

"Of course," Mrs. Weasley said. "Scarlett, if it's okay, you'll be sharing with Ginny and Hermione."

"Okay," Scarlett agreed, picking up her trunk.

"I can get that," Fred offered.

"No, I got it," Scarlett answered. "Thanks, though."

"Fred, help Scarlett carry her trunk," Mrs. Weasley called over her shoulder as she led Scarlett's mother towards the stairs.

"She said she-,"

"Well _I _said help her!" Mrs. Weasley said sternly.

"I have to help you," Fred said, his voice low as he smiled at Scarlett. He picked up her trunk and headed for the stairs. "I'll show you to Ginny's room."

"So, what is this place?" Scarlett asked. "My mum didn't say much."

"It's headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix; an organization Dumbledore started against You-Know-Who during the first wizard war." They had reached the top of the stairs and were standing at the end of a long hallway.

"It's a lovely place," Scarlett said with a laugh, aiming a tiny kick at a troll foot umbrella stand.

"Isn't it?" Fred snorted. He gestured to the umbrella stand. "That's not even the worst part."

"It's not?"

"No. The upstairs hallway is lined with house-elf heads."

"Real ones?" Scarlett squeaked.

Fred nodded. "House elves have been in this family for generations and whenever they die, their heads get hung on the wall. They actually consider it an honor."

Scarlett shuddered. "How can Sirius stand it? How can _anybody_ stand it?"

"Beats me," Fred shrugged. They stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before Fred continued. "There's the front door down there. The kitchen, where we just were, is in the basement. Your room is on the next floor. Your mum, my parents and Sirius are two floors above you. I'm only one floor above you with George. Ron's down the hall from us with Harry…when Harry gets here of course, but we don't know when that is yet. My parents are trying to arrange a time to pick him up."

"Oh," Scarlett said, following him up the stairs. She wasn't sure of what else to say.

"You don't look or sound too happy to be here," Fred observed.

"I'm not," she admitted. "It makes no sense for me to be here. It's kind of fishy."

"I know and my mum wouldn't say anything about it."

"Neither would mine. So, why are _you_ here?"

"I have to be," Fred shrugged. "It's safer and my parents are in the Order. Since this is headquarters, I guess it's easier to just be living here. George and I would be in the Order too if mum would let us. Anyway, this is your room." He stopped at a dark wooden door and knocked.

"What do you—oh." Ginny had flung open her door and was staring at them. "I didn't know Scarlett was here yet."

"Well, she is," Fred said, moving past Ginny to set Scarlett's trunk down by the bed that wasn't already piled with clothes.

"I'm in the middle of unpacking," Ginny said to Scarlett.

"Yeah, so excuse the mess," Fred said.

"Oh, please. Your room probably isn't much better. The only difference is that yours will be messy all summer. This room will only be messy until everything's put away."

"Oh well," Fred shrugged. "This place is already dirty enough. What's a little more mess?"

"It won't be dirty for long," Mrs. Weasley said, appearing in the doorway. "Soon, we're going to be doing a thorough cleaning of this place and everyone's going to help."

"Of course," Scarlett said, feeling almost intimidated by Mrs. Weasley's stern glare.

"You don't have to give in to her," Fred said, smirking. "You could have just said no and watched her get even angrier."

"Why would I want to do that?" Scarlett asked.

"It's entertaining. Mum kind of has a short fuse. Ginny, too."

"We do not!" the two girls snapped.

"See?" Fred asked, nudging Scarlett. "You're getting reacquainted with my family already."

"Yeah, how about _you_ get reacquainted with her," Mrs. Weasley muttered.

"Relax, relax," Fred said, holding up his hands. "For your information, I have been. We bonded all the way up the stairs."

"Hardly," Scarlett laughed.

"Shh," Fred hissed, but he was smiling as well.

Mrs. Weasley swatted him. "So, I'll let you get settled in," she said to Scarlett. "Your mother's two floors up in the second room on the left. Come on, Fred."

"Yeah, it's about time I got back to George," he said.

"Why? You aren't making more owl-order forms for your joke products, are you?"

"No, of course not," Fred answered, looking offended. "It's just that George gets lonely if I leave him alone too long. He's a big baby. Needs lots of attention. Sometimes he cries and everything. I think I can hear him now, actually."

"Fred, don't exaggerate," Mrs. Weasley scolded, but Fred didn't answer. Instead, he slipped out the door, throwing a wink over his shoulder at Scarlett, confirming her suspicions that he was most definitely making owl order forms for joke products.

"So, where's Hermione?" Scarlett asked once Mrs. Weasley had left the room and shut the door behind her.

"Probably off looking for Kreacher," Ginny answered, grabbing a sweater off the bed and hanging it in the closet.

"Kreacher?"

"The house elf that lives here. He belongs to Sirius, just like the house does. Hermione's big on house elf rights and she doesn't think Sirius is very nice to Kreacher. I guess that's true in a way, but Kreacher isn't nice to anyone. He's downright awful."

"Sounds like a joy," Scarlett sighed. "Hermione must hate the house elf heads, then."

"_Everyone _hates the house elf heads," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "Aren't you going to start unpacking? There won't be much closet space, splitting it three ways, but-,"

"It's okay, I don't have much," Scarlett said, kneeling down and opening her trunk. "So," she said after a short pause, "Sirius-,"

"—is not a murderer," Ginny said, almost automatically.

"That's not what I-," Scarlett began. She stopped and took a breath. "I mean, I figured he was innocent since we're staying here. I trust my mum and your parents too, no matter how long it's been since I've seen them."

"Oh, right," Ginny said. "Sorry. It's just tiring being one of the only few people who know that Sirius is innocent. The Ministry still thinks he's a killer, so everyone else does, too."

"It's alright. I was just going to say, well, Sirius owns this place?"

"Yeah, he grew up here."

"I'm guessing he's not allowed to leave since most people still think he's a murderer?"

Ginny nodded. "He doesn't like it much, but he's still really glad the house is being used as headquarters. Loads of people are always coming in and out and now we're here for the rest of the summer. This way he always has company."

Scarlett nodded and carried a pile of clothes to the closet. "I like this," she said, pointing to one of Ginny's shirts hanging inside.

Ginny smiled. "Thanks. I saved up for that shirt for months. It's always nice buying clothes that aren't secondhand."

"Mm," Scarlett agreed. "There was a time—just after my dad died, actually, where my mum and I didn't have a lot of money. Hardly any, actually. We're doing better now, but we're still not exactly the richest family in the world…." She trailed off and shrugged, feeling as if she had said too much. "Anyway, my point is that I know how you feel. I've been there." She started hanging up her clothes to have something to do with her hands.

Ginny sat down on her bed. "Do you talk much about your dad to other people?"

Scarlett shrugged again. "Not really. I talked to my mother a little, but it took forever to be able to even do that. For a while I didn't want to talk to anyone at all, never mind about him. And I don't have any siblings, so there weren't many people around."

"Well, for what it's worth, if you want to talk, you can talk to me. It's better late than never, right?" Ginny said.

"Yeah," Scarlett said with a half-smile. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Ginny said, returning the smile.

Scarlett was still feeling a little nervous, but for the most part, the jittery feeling was subsiding. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad living here after all. It would just take a little getting used to, but she had the feeling that she would be fine.

* * *

"Should we even tell them?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Is it the right thing?"

Scarlett froze and held her breath outside the kitchen door. She had been about to go down to see if she could help with dinner when she had overheard Mrs. Weasley.

"Of course. They have to know." That was her mother's voice.

"But what if telling them only makes them feel obligated to be together? You know, since they have to be together eventually. What if they just go through the motions because they have to? Or worse, what if they continue to simply be acquaintances until they're twenty when they have no choice but to be more than that?"

What were they talking about? Scarlett had no idea. It sounded like somebody was being forced into a relationship. Scarlett tried to take a step back, but she bumped into someone. With a gasp, she spun around. Sirius Black was standing there. She recognized him from the old wanted posters. The only difference was that now he was a whole lot cleaner and neater looking.

"Scarlett, right?" he asked, smiling.

She smiled back. "Guilty," she shrugged. Then, she clapped her hands over her mouth. "I'm sorry, I mean not guilty! I mean—," she took a deep breath. "I'm Scarlett, yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like a jerk."

Sirius chuckled and patted her shoulder. "No need to be sorry. I've had people react much worse."

"I know you're innocent," Scarlett said, still embarrassed.

"I figured," Sirius said, "or else you wouldn't be here."

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"Honestly, forget about it," Sirius grinned.

Scarlett nodded and gestured to the kitchen. "I was just-,"

"Eavesdropping?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Er, yes," she said.

"There are better ways to eavesdrop than standing outside the door. Just ask Fred and George."

"What do you-?"

Sirius bent down and picked something up off the floor that Scarlett hadn't noticed. It was an ear. An ear? Sirius handed it to her, smirking, before heading down into the kitchen. As soon as he had, there was the sound of laughter from above. Scarlett looked up and saw the twins leaning over the banister, holding the end of a string. They pulled on it and the ear began to rise out of Scarlett's hand.

"What is that?" she asked as Fred and George came down the stairs and joined her, still laughing.

"Brilliant!" Fred said through his laughter. "'Guilty! I mean, not guilty'!"

"It wasn't funny! I made a fool out of myself and Sirius probably thinks I'm crazy!"

"No, he doesn't. He's cool," George said. "Hey, you remember me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Scarlett said. "We go to school together."

"Yeah, but-,"

"I know we haven't talked in a while. That doesn't mean I forgot you."

"Okay, okay, you didn't forget me. That _is_ the kind of impression I like to have on people."

"So, you never answered my question. What is this? What does it do?" Scarlett pointed at the ear-on-a-string in George's hand.

"It's an Extendable Ear," George answered proudly.

"We invented it," Fred added. "It allows us to eavesdrop on any conversation."

"The only thing is they don't work when there's an Imperturbable Charm on the door. Mum's gotten smart and started putting the charm up, but she clearly forgot this time," George finished.

"So you heard what they were saying?" Scarlett asked.

The twins nodded.

"And? What do you think?"

They looked at each other. "Well, we think they were talking about you."

"Me?" Scarlett asked. "It sounded like they were talking about someone _having_ to be with someone else. It sounds like they're worried about the person's reaction."

"Yeah, _your_ reaction," Fred said. "Your mum's in there, so you have to be involved somehow."

"Not necessarily and your mum's in there too!"

"Yeah, but if this had to do with you, it would explain why you're here. We already know why _we're_ here, but you…" Fred shook his head. "Maybe they're setting you up with someone. Maybe you have to be with a Death Eater and your mum is protecting you by bringing you here until they figure out what to do."

"That's utterly ridiculous! And it makes no sense!"

"We think it does," George smirked.

"Are you trying to mess with me?"

"No," Fred and George said together.

"Anyway," Scarlett said, "your mother said 'should we even tell _them_'. I don't think my mother's going to tell a Death Eater anything."

"Maybe she has to. Maybe this is all a bribe from a Death Eater or even You-Know-Who himself."

"That's crazy. You-Know-Who doesn't sit around planning stuff like _that_."

"How would you know? Did he tell you that? Did he knock on your door and say-,"

"Have you always been this annoying?"

Fred and George burst out laughting. "I'm sorry," Fred said through his laughter, "it's really not that funny, but picturing You-Know-Who knocking on the door and asking someone if they've always been annoying is just-,"

"I was asking you that," Scarlett said.

Fred and George looked at each other again. "We know, and yes, we have," they answered together.

"Yes, I suppose you have. I still have flashbacks to when you gave me a 'haircut' when I was sleeping."

"Oh, right. That was during your sleepover with Ginny in our living room."

"Yes and my hair was _very_ uneven when I woke up."

"Your mother fixed it in two seconds," George said.

Before Scarlett could retaliate, Mrs. Weasley came up the kitchen stairs. "Oh, good, getting to know each other?" she asked.

"We already know each other, Mum," Fred said, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, well, come down to the kitchen and help get dinner started."

"Are you going to tell us why Scarlett's here?" Fred asked.

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley sighed, turning to go back downstairs.

"Nervous?" Fred smirked as they followed her.

"No, because you're wrong," Scarlett hissed. "For all we know, it could be you getting paired with some Death Eater like Bellatrix Lestrange or something and I'm here to provide moral support."

"That makes even less sense than my theory," Fred answered. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

"No," Scarlett said. When Fred looked away, she bit her lip because if she was being honest with herself, she was incredibly nervous.


	4. Chapter 4

"_If I do marry, I want it to be for love." _

**–Jasmine (Aladdin)**

* * *

At dinner, Scarlett met a few other members of the Order. Her old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin was there, who insisted she now call him Remus. She also met a woman named Nymphadora Tonks, who insisted everyone call her Tonks. She was a Metamorphmagus, currently had pink hair, and Scarlett liked her right away. Tonks spent five minutes changing her appearance for Scarlett when they were first introduced and Scarlett found herself wishing she was a Metamorphmagus as well.

Besides Remus and Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody was there (the real one this time), and two seconds after noticing Scarlett and her mother, he turned to Mrs. Weasley.

"Molly, are you going to tell us why you invited them to headquarters?"

"Yes," she sighed. "And I trust them. They aren't going to run and give Death Eaters all our information. I've almost got Jenna convinced to actually join the Order."

Mad-Eye looked back at Scarlett and her mother before sighing and sitting down.

"Don't take any offense," Fred whispered. "Mad-Eye's a good guy, but he doesn't trust right away and he's a little paranoid."

"I heard that, Weasley," Mad-Eye said, "and when Death Eaters knock down this door, we'll see what you have to say."

"The Death Eaters are not going to knock down the door," Lupin said calmly. "That's why we're here. It's secret and it's safe."

"Let's just sit down and eat dinner," Mrs. Weasley said.

Scarlett sat down between Ginny and Fred. Everyone was already trying to get food on their plates as if they'd never seen such a thing before. It kind of reminded Scarlett of the welcoming feast at Hogwarts, but all the same it was so different from anything Scarlett had ever known. Her dinners at home were quiet with only her mother as company.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Ron asked from across the table. He already had a bite of bread in his mouth.

"Disgusting," Ginny muttered.

"What?" Ron asked defensively.

Ginny just rolled her eyes and Ron shrugged.

"So, are you going to eat or just stare at the food?" Ron asked, giving Scarlett an amused look.

"Eat, of course, but-,"

"Here," Fred said, taking her plate, putting food on it and passing it back. "Done."

Once everyone had finished eating, Mad-Eye sat back in his chair. "So, Molly, why are they here?"

"So you don't know either?" Scarlett asked.

"You mean _you_ don't even know why you're here?" Mad-Eye looked surprised.

Scarlett shook her head. "No. My mother knows, but I have no idea."

"Well, Molly, I think you should tell us," Sirius said, looking interested.

Mrs. Weasley looked at her husband, then at Scarlett's mother. "Okay," she said, taking a deep breath, "about a week ago, my son Charlie came to visit."

"I knew it had to do with what he told you!" Fred exclaimed.

"He told us something that he should have told us as soon as it happened." Mrs. Weasley turned to Scarlett and Fred. "When you two were nine, Charlie took Bill's school textbooks and decided he wanted to practice more advanced magic."

"What does that have to do with us?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow. Scarlett almost smirked. So this did have to do with him as well. Looked like his theory from earlier was about to be proved wrong.

"I'm getting there," Mrs. Weasley said. "You two were playing hide and seek with George and while you were looking for him, Charlie grabbed you to practice the magic on."

"I'm impressed," Fred said. "Charlie didn't blow us up."

"No…" Mrs. Weasley said, "but-,"

"How come I don't remember this?" Scarlett asked. She looked at Fred. "Do you remember?"

He thought for a moment. "No," he finally said. "It's odd. I can remember a lot of the stuff we did together, but not this."

"Bill caught Charlie doing magic. Of course, it didn't matter that he was underage at the time because most people around were legally allowed to use magic or too young to control it. It wouldn't have gotten picked up by the Ministry. Besides, it was the Christmas holidays and they aren't as strict since a lot of kids stay at school anyway. But getting back on track, by the time Bill found out, the damage was done. For some reason, he modified your memories so we could 'ease you into' the news, but I think it would have been better if-,"

"Mum, stop," Fred said. "What exactly did Charlie _do _to us?"

"Yeah, what did he do?" Scarlett echoed. "You're making me nervous."

"It really could have been a lot worse," Mrs. Weasley said. "Charlie said you chose—and he—he went ahead and-." She couldn't even get the words out.

Mr. Weasley took a deep breath. "You know what an Unbreakable Vow is, don't you?"

"An Unbreakable vow? Like George and I tried to do with Ron when we were toddlers?" Fred asked.

"Yes, and you remember how angry I was, don't you?"

"Yeah, it was one of the only times I've ever seen you that angry," Fred said. "It's probably smart that I never got involved with one again."

"Well, that's just it," Mr. Weasley said. "Charlie performed an Unbreakable Vow on you and Scarlett."

"What?" Scarlett asked, her mouth dropping open. The room was silent and everyone was looking at her and Fred.

"Personally, I don't know what you were thinking. I really thought..." Mr. Weasley sighed, "it seemed as if I had gotten through to you the first time. I never thought you'd want to make another vow, but I guess we'll never know what you were thinking seeing as your memories were modified."

"Dad," Fred said, his voice shaking slightly. "What was the vow?"

"Charlie said you two chose it," Mrs. Weasley said. "He thought you chose this because you were so close and you didn't think there would ever be any question about breaking it. You really thought it would happen. Not that we're trying to blame you, but-,"

"Mum," Fred said, his voice low. "Just tell us what happened. Tell us what we have to do."

"Go ahead," Scarlett's mother said gently.

Mrs. Weasley took a deep breath. "You two have to get married in two and a half years. You have to be married by the time you both turn twenty, which technically means that, since Scarlett's a month younger than Fred, you have to be married by Scarlett's twentieth birthday and no later."

"Actually," Mr. Weasley jumped in, "you have to be married by the _exact_ _time_ Scarlett turns twenty." He glanced at Scarlett's mother. "Scarlett was born at 3:07 in the morning on May 2nd, so you'll have to married by then. If you don't, then the Vow is considered to not be fulfilled."

Scarlett could have sworn that she stopped breathing at that moment. She had to get married to Fred? In two and a half years?

"You can't be serious!" Fred yelled, standing up.

"Fred, please sit down," Mrs. Weasley begged.

"You just told me I have to marry Scarlett in three years and you want me to sit?"

"Fred," George said gently, tugging on his brother's sleeve.

No one else was saying anything, so Fred sat and squeezed his eyes shut.

Scarlett couldn't help but feel slightly offended. She was just as upset about the situation as Fred was, but in the back of her mind, she thought Fred was making it sound as if she wasn't worth getting married to; as if she was gross or diseased.

"He was going to ask Angelina out once we got back to school," George said, looking at Fred, whose eyes were still shut.

"And I was hoping that Justin would ask me out," Scarlett said. "Mum, you knew that."

"I do and I'm so sorry, dear," her mother said. "I just found out last week at the same time Molly and Arthur did. We would have told you sooner than this, but we couldn't. We didn't know either and there's nothing any of us can do."

"Wait, Justin who?"

Scarlett looked at Fred, who had opened his eyes and was looking at her curiously.

"Justin Finch-Fletchley?" George asked, a smirk playing across his face.

"You like Justin Finch-Fletchley?" Fred asked, now clearly on the verge of laugher.

"So what if I do? I didn't question the fact that you like Angelina!" Scarlett felt herself blush.

"Yeah, but _Justin_?"

"Why, what's wrong with him?" Scarlett asked.

"Nothing! It's just that…" Fred stopped talking and laughed.

"What?" Scarlett asked, folding his arms.

"First of all, he talks funny," Fred said. "As if he's got some weird lisp or cotton in his mouth."

"He does not! And who cares?"

"I can never understand him, but if you can, then that's great. Secondly-,"

"That's mean, Fred," Scarlett said. "Just leave him alone."

"Secondly," Fred continued, smirking and ignoring Scarlett, "his name is a laughing matter all on its own."

"Stop it," Scarlett said. "Do you want me to find things about Angelina to pick on?"

"Don't," Fred said, giving her a stern look.

"Then stop," she said.

"Justin's nice," Hermione jumped in. "Harry, Ron and I have Herbology with him. He's smart."

"Thank you, Hermione," Scarlett said defiantly.

"What's your point?" Fred shrugged, looking at Hermione. "I don't care who Scarlett likes."

"Well you should," Ginny said. "You're going to be marrying her."

"Shut up, Ginny," Fred snapped.

"What happens if we don't make it through this war?" Scarlett asked. "Everyone thinks one's coming, don't they? What if one of us dies? We can't control that."

"If one of you doesn't make it…" her mother began. Her eyes filled with tears. "Sorry, I just don't like to think about it."

"If one of you doesn't make it," Mad-Eye said gruffly, "then the other one won't either. The Vow will make sure of that. In addition, if you don't get married by Scarlett's birthday, the same rule applies. That's how Unbreakable Vows work."

"That's bloody stupid," Ron said.

"Ron," Mrs. Weasley scolded.

"Well, he's right," Fred said. "It's more than stupid. It's ridiculous. I mean, who came up with that idea?"

"That part of the vow was created so that-," Hermione started.

"It was a rhetorical question, Hermione," Fred sighed.

"Unbreakable Vows are really useful in a lot of ways," Hermione continued.

"Yeah, but they're also a real pain in the-,"

"Fred," Mrs. Weasley warned.

Fred sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I hate Charlie."

"You told him what you wanted," Ginny said.

"I was nine! He actually did the magic!"

"You let him."

"Don't blame me and Scarlett for this," Fred said angrily. "It's not our fault we were little kids and it's not our fault that Charlie is an idiot." With that, he stood up again, knocking his chair over. He stormed upstairs without a backwards glance.

"Don't go up just yet," Mrs. Weasley said as George made a move to stand as well. She turned to look at Ginny. "Why did you taunt him like that?"

"Sorry," Ginny said, looking down at her hands.

Scarlett sat in her chair, looking down at her empty plate. She could feel everyone's eyes on her and she tried not to cry. Of course, like Mrs. Weasley had said earlier, it could have been a lot worse, but when she had thought of getting engaged and married, it hadn't been like this at all.

"Why don't you go upstairs, honey?" her mother suggested. "I think you and Fred both need some time alone."

With a tiny nod, Scarlett stood up and headed for the stairs. As she left, she heard Sirius break the silence.

"You know, whenever I was stressed out as a kid, I would go up to the roof. The stairs are behind the door right next to my room. The stars look so close from up there…"

Scarlett glanced over her shoulder and she could have sworn she saw Sirius discreetly wink at her. Nearly smiling, she made it to her room and collapsed onto the bed. She knew why her mother and Mrs. Weasley had told her and Fred now, shortly after they had found out and when the vow only had to be carried out in three years. They wanted her and Fred to actually fall in love, which she supposed was fair, but she couldn't _make_ herself love him. What if it never happened? At least now she knew what her mother and Mrs. Weasley had been discussing in the kitchen earlier.

Sighing, Scarlett rolled onto her stomach. She was thinking too much and she knew that because of this, she wouldn't be getting much sleep that night. Maybe she should go check out the roof of 12 Grimmauld Place after all.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review!**


	5. Chapter 5

"_Absence makes the heart grow fonder—or forgetful."_

–**Robin Hood**

* * *

Scarlett had been right in suspecting she would get no sleep. At one thirty in the morning, she was still awake, tossing and turning, long after Ginny and Hermione had fallen asleep. She had tried telling herself she didn't need to go up to the roof and tried just waiting for sleep to come, but going to the roof seemed like the only option right now.

Annoyed, she threw back the covers and got out of bed. She tiptoed to the door and opened it, praying that it wouldn't creak. When it didn't she let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding.

Her mother had made it clear that they weren't supposed to leave the house and wander around, but Scarlett needed to get outside. Plus, she was technically obeying the order. She wouldn't be walking out the front door. She would be going to the roof.

Scarlett climbed the stairs to the top floor and paused. She wasn't sure where to go from here. Sirius has said the stairs were right next to his room, but which one was his?

She shouldn't have even worried. Stepping closer to one of the doors, she noticed a small sign on it that read _Sirius_. The stairs had to be behind the door directly to the right.

Pushing open the door, she quietly made her way to the top of the stairs, opening another door which led to the roof. She rested her hands on the waist high wall going around the perimeter of the roof before sighing, turning around and jumping up to sit on it. She tilted her head up to look at the sky. Sirius had been right; the stars did look great from up here.

Scarlett let out another sigh. In two and a half years she'd be getting married to Fred Weasley. She still couldn't wrap her head around it.

"Doing some thinking?"

Scarlett jumped up at the voice and pulled out her wand, pointing it at the door.

"Calm down," the voice said defensively. Scarlett relaxed as she recognized it.

"Oh, hi Fred," she said. "What are you doing up here?"

"Couldn't sleep," Fred answered, coming to stand beside her and leaning backwards against the railing. "You?"

"Couldn't sleep," she answered, smiling. "How did you know we could go out to the roof?"

"How did _you_?"

"I asked you first."

Fred laughed. "George and I investigated this house from top to bottom as soon as we got here."

Scarlett nodded. "Sirius mentioned it as I was leaving the kitchen." She turned back around and looked up at the sky. "You really don't want to do this, do you?"

"Do what?"

"Get married."

Fred didn't answer right away, but Scarlett saw him looking at her. "I know I reacted kind of terribly, but it was such a shock and that's how I react to things like that. And I think it's safe to say that you aren't thrilled either. You don't like me in that way. How could you? We haven't talked in years and we like other people."

"You were very rude earlier," Scarlett said, nudging him and smirking.

"I'm sorry," Fred laughed. There was a pause. "Do you remember how close we were as kids? We were really good friends."

"Were we?" Scarlett asked with a smirk, "Because I remember you cutting off my hair, drawing on my face with marker and constantly calling me Scary Scarlett."

Fred let out a laugh. "Yeah, but we also dug up worms together and played pranks on my parents and Percy. Plus, we must have liked each other at least a little for us to make this vow."

"Sounds like more than a little," Scarlett said. She sighed. "If we could have just stayed that close everything would have been fine."

"But you left," Fred said quietly.

"I had no control over that," Scarlett said. "My mum sat me down one night and told me we were moving to be closer to her parents. The decision was final."

"I remember you coming over to tell me and George. Well, it was more like you _ran_ over. All the way from your house two hills over. You were crying. You said you didn't want to leave."

"I didn't want to," she whispered. "If I remember correctly, you were playing chess with Ron and you overturned the board."

"Like I said, that's how I react to shocking news," Fred smirked.

"Clearly," Scarlett answered with a snort.

"You said you would visit." Fred's voice was quiet now and he sounded kind of hurt.

"You said that too," Scarlett answered. "After my mum and I moved, I felt more alone than ever. I was upset about my dad and I wanted my friends back, but my mother was busy and I couldn't Apparate on my own yet. I didn't know how to get anywhere."

"The Floo? A broom?"

Scarlett shook her head. "The Floo used to make me sick, remember?"

"That's right," Fred laughed. "I forgot. Now that you mention it, though, I remember when we brought you along to visit our great aunt Muriel that one time and you vomited all over her living room rug. I can't believe I forgot that! It was brilliant!"

Scarlett groaned. "I never forgot. I was mortified. Anyway, I was always afraid to use the Floo, especially after the Aunt Muriel incident. And my mother actually sold my broom. For money. You know, we needed it until she could get a job. We're okay now, but back then…" she trailed off. "You know I never got a new broom."

"Why not?" Fred asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. It just never happened. I want one though."

"I could have come to get you," Fred said. "I would have flown over."

"You didn't know how to get to my new house," Scarlett said. "_I_ didn't even know how to get back to your house or my old one."

"You could've written."

"No money equals no owl," Scarlett sighed.

"Excuses, excuses," Fred smirked.

"Yeah, well, what's yours?"

"I don't have one," Fred sighed sadly. "Not really, anyway. Although, as for the letter writing, I will say that Errol was an idiot of an owl even back then. I'm surprised he's still alive. By the time you received any letter I sent you, years would have passed and we'd have lost touch anyway."

"You didn't even miss me?"

"Of course I did. I missed you like crazy."

"Then why did we grow apart?" she asked sadly.

"It's not all my fault."

"No, you're right, it's not, and I never said it was. I was just asking."

"It just happened," Fred answered. He looked at her. "I wish it hadn't."

"Because it would be easier for us now or because you really wish it hadn't?"

"Both, if I'm being honest."

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, me too."

"So if you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened to your dad?"

"He died," Scarlett answered quickly.

"I know, but how?"

"In a car accident. He was overtired, fell asleep and went through a stop light. Another car hit him and…it was bad. I was in the car. Did you know that?"

"No, I didn't know anything about this except that he died. I'm so sorry, Scar."

"I was nine at the time, as you know," she continued. "It was a Saturday. Dad was taking me out to lunch. We went out to lunch once a month. It was our thing. Anyway, then the accident happened. I remember screaming and then I woke up in a Muggle hospital. I had been knocked out for two days. I had a lot of cuts and bruises, and a broken wrist but other than that I was okay. The first thing I did was ask the nurse about my dad and she told me—she told me…" Scarlett couldn't even get the words out.

"Don't say it. You don't have to," Fred said.

Scarlett swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at Fred, who was looking back at her, a look of compassion on his face. He reached over and gently patted her hand. It was a nice gesture, but it felt somewhat awkward.

"That's sort of why I never really tried to visit you. I wanted to see you, like I said, but at the same time I didn't want to be with people. I was traumatized and I felt that the whole accident was my fault."

"What? No, it wasn't," Fred said. "How could you possibly think that?"

"It was our thing, going to lunch. I knew he was tired from work. He had been working overtime and I missed him. I begged him to take me out to lunch like always instead of letting him stay home and rest. If I hadn't, the accident probably wouldn't have happened."

"Scarlett, it's not your fault," Fred said firmly.

She shrugged. "I mean, it's not something I constantly think about and I'm not adamant about blaming myself, but I just can't help but think if I hadn't begged him to take me, things would have been different."

Fred sighed. "Now I know another reason why my mum was so against dad fixing up that Ford Anglia we have," he muttered.

"The one Harry and Ron crashed into the Whomping Willow?"

"Yeah, I guess even enchanted cars are dangerous." There was another moment of silence. "So, do you miss him? Sorry, that was a stupid question. Of course you miss him."

"I miss him every single day. I mean, mum's great, but there are certain things that I could have done with my dad and talked about with my dad. He loved sports. He would have loved Quidditch if I had ever gotten the chance to tell him about it. I mean, I knew the rules from hanging out with you, but I had never seen a proper match until I started school. He would have loved to hear about it. My mum, on the other hand, thinks sports are a complete bore. _She _never told him about Quidditch. At least, not extensively. Although, there _are_ things I can talk to my mum about that my dad wouldn't have understood."

"Yeah, for instance, when you really like a boy and he's got a name like Justin Finch-Fletchley."

"Stop being so rude!" Scarlett gave him a little shove.

Fred laughed. "I'm not. I'm speaking the truth."

"Right," she snorted. "Who would you suggest is a better option?"

Fred shrugged. "Whoever you want. I've already said I don't care who you like."

"Yet you keep making fun of Justin."

"Of course," Fred said, smiling. "It's what I do, but it _is_ all in good fun."

"I suppose if I actually liked _you_, there wouldn't be any of that," Scarlett teased.

"Of course not," Fred answered. "After all, you _did_ pick me to be your lawfully wedded husband whether you like me or not and I haven't made fun of myself once."

"You're impossible!" Scarlett laughed.

"Thank you," Fred said as if she had just paid him the highest compliment.

When their laughter had died down, they looked out at the sky again.

"My dad didn't even live to see me get my Hogwarts letter," Scarlett whispered. "He knew I was a witch since he knew about my mother being one and I had also been showing signs of magic. But I just wish he could've been alive to see me off to school."

"He would have been proud," Fred whispered.

"You think so?" she answered.

Fred nodded. "Mhm. I know the two of us have lost touch, but from what I can see now, you've grown up into someone to be proud of."

Scarlett smiled and looked down at her hands. "Thanks."

After a moment of silence, Fred spoke again. "Did you hear about Percy?"

"No, where is he, by the way?" Scarlett asked.

"He's siding with the Ministry. He doesn't believe You-Know-Who's back. He got into a huge fight with dad recently and stormed out."

"No," Scarlett whispered.

Fred nodded. "I never thought he would do that. I mean, I always knew he loved his job and practically worshipped the Minister, but I thought family came first."

"You're upset with him," Scarlett said.

"Of course I am. It hurts that he would leave us like that."

"I'm so sorry, Fred," Scarlett whispered. "I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything," he answered. "I didn't tell you so that you could say something. I said it so that I could tell _someone _how I feel about it besides George."

"Why me?" Scarlett asked.

"You're easy to talk to," Fred finally answered.

"So are you." Scarlett smiled slightly as she stared out at the stars.

"It's _almost_ like being free, isn't it?" Fred asked after another few moments of silence. "Being this close to the sky, I mean. If I could, I'd go for a ride on my broom right about now."

"I haven't ridden a broom in years," Scarlett sighed. "I miss being able to."

Fred nodded in understanding. "I hate being stuck in this house."

"I know," Scarlett said sympathetically. "It reminds me of a Muggle fairytale my dad read to me once. It was called Rapunzel. My dad bought me a fairy tale book when I was little and he used to read me a story every night."

"What was it about?" Fred asked. "This Rapunzel story, I mean." He sat down on the ground and leaned against the wall.

Scarlett sat down next to him. "You really want to hear it?"

Fred nodded almost eagerly. "Yeah, I've never heard a Muggle story before."

"Okay," Scarlett said, "once upon a time…"

She began telling the story, but about halfway through, she felt a pressure on her shoulder. Looking to her left, she saw that Fred had fallen asleep and was snoring slightly.

Smiling, she nudged him gently. "Fred, wake up."

He jumped and sat up. "Sorry," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I really liked the story, but-,"

"You were tired," Scarlett finished. "It is almost three in the morning after all, so we really should get to bed."

"Okay, but on one condition," Fred mumbled sleepily.

"What's that?" Scarlett asked.

Fred grinned. "Tomorrow night you have to finish the story. I want to know if Rapunzel ever got a haircut."

Scarlett laughed. "I've really missed being your friend."

Fred smiled and stood up, reaching out a hand to pull Scarlett up as well. "One blue eye and one green eye," he said quietly when she had stood. He smiled to himself.

She frowned slightly. "Why are you bringing that up?"

"I just-I saw them and remembered that your eyes were different colors. I thought you were going to get those Muggle things to change that."

"Contacts? Yeah, I never did," she shrugged. "After my dad died, Mum and I didn't know the first thing about getting those contacts. Besides, Mum wanted me to 'embrace being unique'."

"Did you?" Fred asked as they walked inside and down the stairs. "Learn to like your eyes, I mean. I know you never really liked them."

"Yeah, I guess I did grow to like them eventually," she answered. "Sometimes, though, I still wish they could have been one color or the other."

"For the record," Fred said, "I like them. I always have."

"I know," she answered. "You used to tell me all the time."

Fred smiled. "Well, here's my room." He stopped in front of a door.

"Okay, well, see you tomorrow?"

"Of course. You have to finish the story, don't forget."

"Alright," she said, reaching for the banister as she walked down two steps.

"Oh, and before you go, I just wanted to make sure you know how lucky you are to be marrying me, even if we don't have feelings for each other," Fred said.

"Yeah? Why?" Scarlett asked.

"Weasley is a much better last name than Finch-Fletchley," he smirked.

"Goodnight, Fred," Scarlett said with a roll of her eyes as she continued down the stairs.

"I'm saving your life and your dignity," Fred called.

"Goodnight, Fred," she said again, louder this time.

"Goodnight," he replied with a laugh as he slipped back into his room.

Scarlett hurried back into her own room, where she was finally able to fall asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review!**


	6. Chapter 6

_"Do you know why swallows build in the eaves of houses? It is to listen to the stories."_

**-Peter (Peter Pan)**

* * *

"So, Rapunzel did end up with a haircut," Fred said, smirking. "Even though she didn't intend for it to be cut."

"Yeah, it was more of a punishment so she couldn't bring the prince up to her tower anymore," George added from his bed, where he was absentmindedly flipping through invention sketches. He had apparently heard about Scarlett's storytelling from Fred and he had been interested to hear the story of Rapunzel when Scarlett had come into their room, so she had started the story from the beginning.

"Yeah, but she still cut it," Fred said.

Scarlett giggled. She was sitting on Fred's bed, leaning against the headboard with her knees pulled up to her chest. Fred was lying on his back across the end of the bed, staring up at the ceiling with one hand behind his head and the other lying across his stomach.

"What I'd like to know is how did Rapunzel not get her scalp ripped off from that lady and the prince constantly climbing up her hair?" George asked.

"Lovely, George," Scarlett said, "but I guess because it's a fairy tale and anything can happen."

"Do you know any more of these fairy tales?" Fred asked.

Scarlett nodded. "Yes, I know plenty. I told you I did last night. I have the book with me. The one my dad gave me when I was little."

Fred sat up excitedly. "Can you tell us another one?"

"Yeah, go get the book," George urged.

Scarlett laughed. "What if I tell you one story a night until I've told you all the ones I know?"

"You mean we have to wait another twenty-four hours until you tell us another story?" Fred asked.

"Yes," Scarlett said, nodding.

"How many stories _do_ you know?" Fred asked curiously.

"Plenty. Besides fairy tales, I know a lot of classic Muggle stories as well."

"So if you tell us a story every night, we'll be all set for a while," Fred smirked.

"Well, yes, I suppose you would be."

"Can you?"

"Can I what?"

"Tell us one story a night. At least until we go back to school." Fred looked at her pleadingly.

Scarlett laughed. "Why not?" she shrugged. "And I know exactly which story I want to tell you tomorrow, too."

"What's it called?" Fred asked. "At least tell us that."

"Peter Pan," Scarlett answered. "I think you'll enjoy it. The character, Peter Pan, liked stories, too."

"What's it about?" George asked.

"You'll find out tomorrow," Scarlett said, grinning at them.

"It's a good story?" Fred asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I think it is. It's one of my favorites." She stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" George asked.

"Back to my room. I promised Ginny she could braid my hair."

"Ah, George, look at this. My future wife's getting along with our little sister."

"You know, you're sure joking around a lot about this when originally you were quite angry." Scarlett raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

Fred shrugged. "I'm over the initial shock of it now. I'm still not too thrilled, but then again, neither are you. And I'm always joking about things. You should know that. It's how I deal with things."

"After the anger?"

"Yeah," Fred shrugged.

"Yeah, well," Scarlett said quietly, "you're right, I'm not too thrilled either."

Fred raised his eyebrows in amusement. Then, he smirked at her. "Right, because you like Justin!" He sing-songed the name and made kissy faces while George laughed.

Scarlett managed to keep her mouth shut. Rolling her eyes, she turned and flung the door open, nearly tripping over something standing right outside.

"Kreacher," Fred said. His laughter disappeared at once to be replaced by annoyance. "What are you doing out there?"

"Kreacher was just on his way to visit his mistress's portrait when he heard obnoxious laughter from the room of the twin blood traitor brats."

"That's not nice," Scarlett said, frowning down at Kreacher. She had heard Kreacher was rude, but witnessing it for herself was a lot different.

"Kreacher doesn't care what the half-blood girl has to say."

"Hey," Fred said loudly, getting to his feet. "Leave her alone."

"Kreacher heard the blood traitor brats teasing the girl only a few minutes ago." The elf smirked up at them.

"That's different," Fred spluttered.

"Kreacher!" Scarlett turned to see Sirius coming down the hallway. "Go mind your own business."

"Yes, of course, Master Sirius," Kreacher muttered, shuffling away.

"Sorry about him," Sirius said, turning back to Scarlett and the twins.

"Can't you just lock him in the attic?" Fred asked.

"Sometimes I wish I could, but he'd just Disapparate right out."

"Oh yeah," Fred sighed. "I forgot he could do that."

"So, how are you two holding up?" Sirius asked Fred and Scarlett.

"Fine," Scarlett sniffed. "We were just discussing how we're not thrilled about the situation but we have to live with it. Fred's joking and everything. He also won't leave Justin alone."

Sirius laughed. "You have to admit, Scarlett, his name is kind of a laughing matter."

"See?" Fred asked as he and George started laughing again.

Scarlett let out a frustrated sigh. "Goodbye. Ginny's waiting for me." With that, she left the three of them laughing in the doorway like the five year olds they apparently were.

* * *

"What's wrong, Arthur?"

Scarlett turned from her spot at the sink where she was peeling carrots. It was the next night and everyone had been in the kitchen helping prepare dinner when Mr. Weasley had gotten home from work. Mrs. Weasley had greeted her husband at the bottom of the stairs and the concern in her voice was what had made Scarlett turn around.

"Harry almost got expelled from Hogwarts. He _still_ might be expelled. He has to go to a hearing to determine if he is or not."

"What?" Everyone in the kitchen froze and looked at Mr. Weasley. Fred and George, who had been dueling with two of their trick wands, stopped mid-duel and the wands turned into a rubber fish and rubber chicken.

"What happened?" Ron practically yelled.

"Harry used magic in front of his cousin," Mr. Weasley said, taking off his coat and sitting down at the table. "There were-,"

"Harry wouldn't do that. He knows better!" Hermione interrupted.

"He got in trouble for it once before," Ginny said.

"It wasn't him! It was Dobby!"

"He blew up his aunt," George added.

"Yeah, but they let him off because of-," Ginny stopped and cleared her throat.

Sirius grinned and leaned back in his chair. "I see it as a good thing. I gained him another two years of education. Now he's two years more prepared to be out in the real world."

"He's not going to get expelled this time either, Sirius," Mrs. Weasley said firmly.

"Of course not," Sirius said quickly, shaking his head.

"Exactly what kind of magic did he do?" Scarlett asked.

"He used a Patronus Charm," Mr. Weasley answered.

"But he would only need to use that if-," Scarlett began.

"If there were dementors, and yes, they were involved." Mr. Weasley sighed.

"Dementors?" Mrs. Weasley asked shrilly. "Why didn't you say that earlier?"

"I tried to," Mr. Weasley muttered. "Anyway, Dumbledore had to come to the Ministry and try to sort it out. You see, Mundungus was supposed to keep an eye on Harry, but he left his post."

"He left?" Mrs. Weasley looked furious. "He _left_? To do what? What was more important than Harry?"

"Cauldrons," Mr. Weasley said.

"Stolen ones, no doubt," Mrs. Weasley said with a sniff. "Whenever I next see Mundungus, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind."

"I'm sure you will, Molly," Mr. Weasley sighed. "You'll get to see him tonight. I believe he's coming to the meeting."

"Meeting? There wasn't one scheduled for tonight!"

"There is now. There's an emergency one. Mad-Eye, Remus, Tonks and Kingsley are going to get Harry now and bring him here and then they'll join us. It's earlier than we originally planned to bring him here but we can't afford to wait any longer."

"What about his aunt and uncle?" Ron asked. "They're not too fond of anything magical. Almost scared of it, really."

"Mad-Eye's got it all under control."

"When's the hearing?" Fred asked.

"August twelfth."

"That's only a few days away!" Mrs. Weasley said.

Mr. Weasley nodded. "I'll bring him to work with me and then bring him back later."

"He'll be fine, Molly," Sirius said confidently.

"He can't get expelled," Scarlett added. "He was using magic to defend himself. Surely that's an exception to the rule."

"It is," Mr. Weasley said. "That's what Dumbledore said to get Harry at least the hearing. The Ministry jumped to expel him right away because this is the third time it's happened and because, well, they don't want to believe You-Know-Who's back. They think he's spewing nonsense and they don't like it."

"It's really so unfair," Hermione said.

"Yes, well, we have to get ready for the meeting," Mrs. Weasley said, taking a deep breath. "Mad-Eye, Remus and Tonks will be back soon with Harry won't they?"

"They should be, yes," Mr. Weasley said.

"Scarlett, you can finish those carrots later." Mrs. Weasley ushered her away from the sink before turning to Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George. "You should all head upstairs."

"Why can't George and I stay for the meeting? We're of age!" Fred said.

"You ask me this every time and the answer's still no. You aren't even in the Order."

"We can be! We want to be!"

"Scarlett's of age and you don't hear her complaining."

"Maybe she's just too polite," Fred shrugged.

"Will all of you please go upstairs?" Mrs. Weasley sighed.

There was a pause. "Fine," Fred said, turning around and marching upstairs.

Scarlett headed back to her room and curled up on her bed with a book. Ginny burst into the room a second later with Hermione on her heels.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you," Ginny said, sitting down on the end of Scarlett's bed. "What were you doing in Fred's room last night?"

"All of the dirty things you're undoubtedly suspecting right now," Scarlett answered flatly, somehow managing to keep a straight face. She turned the page of her book and scratched her nose absentmindedly.

"I wasn't thinking of anything dirty," Ginny said quickly, flashing an innocent smile.

"I was telling him and George a story. A Muggle fairy tale, actually. I promised to tell them a story every night until we go back to school."

"What did you tell them so far?" Hermione asked.

"Rapunzel, and tonight is Peter Pan."

"Oh, they'll like that one," Hermione said.

"I thought so, too," Scarlett answered, nodding.

"Rapunzel and Peter Pan?" Ginny asked, wrinkling her nose in confusion.

Scarlett smiled. "Do you want to join us for story time tonight?"

Ginny shrugged. "Sure, why not? If you don't mind me cutting in on your bonding time with Fred."

Scarlett snorted. "I don't need to be alone with Fred in order to bond with him."

"What if you don't fall in love with him or vice versa?" Hermione asked. "You're okay with marrying someone you don't love or someone who doesn't love you?"

"We can't force ourselves to fall in love with each other," Scarlett said.

"What about Justin?" Ginny asked.

"What about him?" Scarlett shrugged.

"Do you already love him?"

"No," Scarlett answered. "I like him, but we aren't even dating yet."

"Does he know you're here?" Ginny asked.

"Not exactly. I told him I was going away for the last month of the summer but I would definitely see him when we went back to school. Nobody's supposed to know about this place, right? So I didn't tell him."

Ginny and Hermione nodded as the sound of voices from downstairs suddenly increased in volume.

"Harry must be here," Hermione said.

"Go wait for him in Ron's room," Ginny suggested. "I'll be up in a minute."

Once Hermione had left the room, Ginny turned to Scarlett. "Don't be afraid to fall in love," she said.

"What?" Scarlett asked, surprised. "What kind of cryptic message was that?"

Ginny just shook her head and let out a quiet laugh. "If you find yourself falling in love with Fred, don't let it scare you. Don't let this whole marriage thing mess you up. If you fall in love with him, it'll be a good thing."

Scarlett stared at her. "Okay," she said slowly.

"I mean it," Ginny said. "Anyway, come upstairs with me and say hello to Harry."

The sound of yelling faintly entered the room from the floor above. "I don't think he wants any more visitors," Scarlett said.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes, he does, and even if he didn't I'd want to help Ron and Hermione calm him down." She grabbed Scarlett's arm and dragged her from the room.

"Ginny," Harry said when they entered his room.

"Scarlett and I heard you yelling," Ginny said. "Scarlett goes to school with us. She's in Hufflepuff and the same age as Fred and George."

"Hi," Scarlett said politely.

"Hi," Harry answered. He turned back to Ron and Hermione. "So, what is this place?"

"It's headquarters," Ron answered.

"For the Order of the Phoenix," Hermione added.

"Dumbledore started it during the first wizard war," Ron said.

"You couldn't have put any of this in a letter?" Harry asked, looking at Ron and Hermione meaningfully.

"Dumbledore made us swear not to," Ron said. "We wanted to tell you, but we couldn't."

"Dumbledore was here?" Harry asked.

"When?" Scarlett raised an eyebrow. She didn't remember Dumbledore coming.

"You weren't here yet," Ginny said. "He came the morning we got here. You came in the afternoon."

"Oh," Scarlett said.

"I've gone all summer without any news," Harry continued. "Why couldn't Dumbledore have said anything to me? I could have helped. I mean, I'm the one who saw Voldemort return. I saw him kill Cedric. I saw him and I fought him."

There was a loud popping sound and suddenly Fred and George were sitting on Harry's bed. "Hi, Harry," George said. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."

"But don't bottle it up like that," Fred continued. "Let it out. There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."

"Anyway," George said, "if you're all done shouting, do you want to hear something a little more interesting?" He pulled out one of the Extendable Ears that Scarlett had seen him and Fred with before.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"An Extendable Ear," Fred explained as they all headed out to the hallway. "George and I invented them."

George dropped the ear end over the banister and held the other end up so everyone could hear. "The meeting should be starting soon," he said, "and with any luck, Mum forgot to put an Imperturbable Charm on the door."

"I think she did forget," Scarlett said excitedly as Mrs. Weasley's voice came over the Extendable Ear. Scarlett had been curious to hear what went on at meetings ever since she had arrived at Grimmauld Place.

Fred grinned at her. "It's nice to see someone else so excited about this," he whispered.

Ginny shushed him, but Scarlett managed to shyly return the smile.

Nothing too interesting happened at the meeting. They mostly talked about Harry and it was nothing everyone didn't already know. That was probably why Mrs. Weasley hadn't bothered putting up the charm.

Fred sighed. "I wish they would get to talking about something good."

"Cat," Scarlett suddenly said, noticing a ginger-colored cat watching the Extendable Ear intently.

"What?" Fred asked.

"Crookshanks," Hermione gasped as the cat jumped forward and grabbed the Extendable Ear.

"No!" Fred and George cried, trying to yank the ear up, but all that did was tear the ear part off the string.

"Hermione, I hate your cat," Ron muttered as Crookshanks happily chewed on the Extendable Ear.

Fred and George were just reeling the string back up when Mrs. Weasley stepped out into the hallway and looked up at them. "We'll be eating shortly, so why don't you all come down and help?"

As everyone else thundered down the stairs, Fred and George winked at Scarlett before Disapparating to the bottom of the stairs.

Mrs. Weasley let out a scream. "Just because you're allowed to use magic now does not mean you have to whip your wands out for everything!"

Fred and George simply laughed before racing down the kitchen stairs.

Scarlett followed them, shaking her head. "Honestly, was that really necessary?"

"Of course," Fred answered with a smile.

"Mum doesn't know what she's talking about," George added, levitating a chair a few inches off the ground. "When people turn seventeen, the first thing they do is start using magic. We're still getting used to it."

"I'm the same age as you and I don't use magic every two seconds," Scarlett said, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"Yeah, well, maybe you're abnormal," George shrugged.

Scarlett shook her head again and walked back over to the sink to get back to peeling carrots. Mrs. Weasley put the twins to work getting things out of the pantry, which they also insisted they do by magic.

There wasn't any trouble until dinner was actually ready, though. Fred and George were levitating the food to the table instead of carrying it and Scarlett suddenly heard thuds and Mrs. Weasley's yelling.

"Why couldn't you have carried it like normal people?" she asked.

Scarlett looked up from drying her hands to see long, black skid marks on the table from where the soup pot had slid. There was also spilled butterbeer, and a knife sticking straight up out of the table.

"Oops," Fred said guiltily. He reached over and pulled the knife out of the table. "Sorry about that."

"The knife almost went through Sirius's hand!" Mrs. Weasley said.

"We said we're sorry," Fred responded quickly.

"It's fine, Molly," Sirius said, smiling. "We can fix this." He waved his wand and the table went back to normal, all the food neatly in the middle where it should have been.

Dinner was noisy. With every seat at the long, wooden table filled, it was crowded. Scarlett found herself sitting next to Fred again.

She smiled at him and he smiled back before leaning over to whisper in her ear. "Are we still on for tonight?"

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, if you want."

"Are you kidding? George and I have been looking forward to the story all day!"

Scarlett found herself grinning. "I'm glad. Ginny might be joining us as well."

"Okay," Fred said with a shrug, "but tomorrow night can it be just me and you again? Like it was on the first night?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not. Why do you ask?"

"I just thought it was our thing," Fred said.

"Okay," Scarlett said after a short pause. "Ginny called it our bonding time."

"Yeah, that's what it is," Fred said. "Bonding. I like it."

"Me too," Scarlett agreed, smiling wider still. She supposed it was good that they were bonding, but she wondered if she would ever grow to one day love Fred Weasley as more than a friend.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed so far and added the story to their alerts and/or favorites! I'm glad everyone's liking the story so far! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

"_You see, I don't know any stories. None of the lost boys know any stories."_

**-Peter (Peter Pan)**

* * *

"Come on, Scar, don't slack off on me now!"

Scarlett rolled over and blinked up at Fred. "I have been helping to clean this house all day, then Harry was cleared at his hearing, and then we got our Hogwarts letters and Ron and Hermione were made prefects so we had to celebrate-,"

Fred scrunched up his nose at the mention of prefects and Scarlett laughed

"The events of the day have made me extremely tired," she said dramatically, "so I flop onto my bed for two seconds and then you come bother me and say I'm slacking."

"So you _aren't_ slacking?"

"No, I did promise to tell you those stories, didn't I?" she asked. "I was just resting for a minute."

"Ah, no, you can't," Fred answered, tugging on her arm. "I know how that works. People say they're resting for a minute and then they end up falling asleep for hours."

"Oh, alright," Scarlett groaned, sitting up. "You win."

"No surprise there," Fred teased, sitting on the bed next to her.

"Why are you so eager to hear these stories, anyway?" Scarlett asked.

"Because I don't know any Muggle stories. None of us here do except for you, Hermione and Harry. They're fascinating and I like hearing them."

Scarlett smiled. "Do you honestly like them?"

Fred nodded. "Honestly, I do." He grinned widely. "So first it was Rapunzel, two days ago you told me about Peter Pan. Last night was Thumbelina, and tonight is…?"

Scarlett smiled. "Beauty and the Beast."

"Conceited and insulting!" Fred gasped dramatically.

"No," Scarlett said, swatting him. "It's the name of the story."

"What a title," Fred snorted.

"It's another one of my favorites," Scarlett replied.

"Okay, then proceed," Fred said, bringing his legs up on the bed and tucking them under him.

Scarlett smiled again before launching into the story. Over the next few weeks, she told him quite a few fairy tales and classic stories—almost all of the ones she knew, actually. Sometimes Ginny would come and listen and a lot of the time George came to listen as well, but some nights it was just Scarlett and Fred. Scarlett actually really liked the fact that they were interested. She didn't know how well she was doing telling the stories. Since most of the classic stories were longer than fairy tales, she had to try and sometimes condense them, but not by much. Besides that, she found herself really enjoying telling the stories. She was an only child and never had any siblings to tell stories to.

She also found it amusing to watch their reactions to the stories. Peter Pan remained both Fred and George's favorite, but Ginny loved Beauty and the Beast. They all thought The Princess and the Pea was silly, though, which Scarlett thought was funny. She had always thought the story was cute. They all loved _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ and hated _The Witches_, which was understandable.

Before she knew it, it was September first and they were getting ready to head to King's Cross Station.

"I'm actually a little disappointed," Fred said as they stood by the door. Mr. Weasley had gotten two cars to bring them to the station and they were running a little late.

"Why?" Scarlett asked, surprised.

"No more stories," Fred said with a shrug. "I liked them."

"I liked telling them to you," Scarlett said. She sighed and looked around at everyone else waiting in the entry way. It was chaotic. Everyone was anxious to leave. George was tossing paper at Ron while Mrs. Weasley scolded him and Ginny laughed.

"What's wrong?" Fred asked. Scarlett looked back at him to see him staring at her with his head tilted to one side. "You look like you're thinking really hard."

"Things are going to be different at school, aren't they? Between us, I mean."

"Why do you say that?" Fred asked.

"Fred, we have to get married."

"I know what we have to do," Fred said quickly. "Things don't have to be different between us, though."

"So you want to act like we have been acting at school all these years? Almost like strangers?"

"No, we can act like we have been recently. Friends, you know?" He sighed. "I just don't want anyone to be suspicious."

"Won't people be if they see us talking? We haven't talked in years and people pay attention to these sorts of things. At least girls do."

"So? I'm sure nobody will jump to the conclusion that we have to get married."

"Technically, we're engaged, aren't we?"

"I guess we are. I never thought of that." Fred sighed and looked at Scarlett. "I don't want anyone to know just yet."

"We'll have to tell Angelina and Justin."

Fred shook his head wildly. "I'm still asking Angelina out. You and I only have to get married in two and a half years."

"I know, but what are you suggesting we do? Tell them at the last minute? Hurt their feelings? I mean, they'll be hurt no matter when we tell them, but if we wait, it'll be worse."

Fred sighed again. "I don't want to ask Angelina out and then tell her I have to get married to someone else in two and a half years. She might not want to go out with me anymore. I really like her, Scarlett." He sounded almost pleading.

"I know. I'm having the same problems with Justin as you can imagine. I don't want him to get scared off."

"So what are we going to do, then?" Fred asked as the cars arrived and everyone hurried outside.

Scarlett sighed. "Maybe we don't have to tell them _right_ away, but it'll be better to tell them sooner rather than later."

Fred nodded as they got into one of the cars. Scarlett spent nearly the entire ride to the station with her forehead pressed against the window. She felt torn about what to do. She didn't know what the best solution to all of this was and it made her nervous.

They finally made it to King's Cross and onto Platform 9 ¾, where everyone immediately separated to greet their friends.

Scarlett began searching for Erica, her best friend. They were in the same year and the same house. They had been best friends since their first train ride to Hogwarts.

"Scarlett!" She heard a voice squeal from behind her. Whirling around, Scarlett saw Erica jogging her way.

"Hey," Scarlett laughed, throwing her arms around her friend when she finally got close enough. "I missed you!"

"I missed you, too! Where have you been? You wrote me saying you were going away for the summer and couldn't get letters, but where'd you go? Was it somewhere beautiful with lots of sun and a beach?"

"I wish," Scarlett answered, rolling her eyes. She knew she could tell Erica where she had been. Her best friend could keep a secret.

"Where were you, then?" Erica persisted.

"In some ancient, dusty, dingy old house with the Weasleys, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger, that's where."

Erica's mouth dropped open in confusion and she stared at Scarlett. "Why?"

Scarlett fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "My mum and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley needed to tell us something. Harry and Hermione were there because it was a lot safer for Harry and they're friends with Ron and—,"

"Scar, what happened? Something happened. You haven't talked to the Weasleys since you were-,"

"Nine, I know."

"What did they have to tell you?"

"Can I tell you after we find a compartment?" Scarlett gestured towards the train.

"Sure," Erica replied slowly.

Scarlett looked over Erica's shoulder as they lifted their trunks and saw Fred standing with George, Lee and Angelina. Fred looked up and saw Scarlett looking. He gave her a tiny smile that Scarlett returned before turning back to the train.

"Okay, so what's going on?" Erica asked once the two friends were comfortably sitting in a compartment.

"It has to do with me and Fred."

Erica's eyes widened. "Are you dating? Do you like him? Did you _sleep_ with him? What about Justin?"

"Erica," Scarlett groaned. "No! I already said his parents and my mum had to tell us something. That's what this is about."

"Oh. So you still like Justin?"

"Yes, I still like Justin."

"Okay. I mean, I need to stay updated on these things. We couldn't write for most of the summer. I'm just trying to stay on track here." She flashed her friend a smile. "So, what did they tell you?"

"Fred and I," Scarlett began. She took a deep breath. "Well, we have to get married by the time I turn twenty."

Erica was silent for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "You aren't serious! You can't be."

"I'm completely serious," Scarlett said with a straight face.

"And you said yes?" Erica asked.

"There wasn't even a question or an option or a way out. Fred and I _have_ to get married. We made an Unbreakable Vow when we were nine and then Fred's brother erased the memory from us and it was all kept a secret until recently."

"Bloody hell," Erica muttered, staring at Scarlett wide-eyed.

"When you start using that sort of language that's when I know it's bad," Scarlett sighed.

"You said you still liked Justin!" Erica said.

"I do, and Fred's asking Angelina out today. We both like different people."

"So you aren't going to do anything about you and Fred?"

"What can we do? We'll just get married when we have to. I mean, we have two and a half years."

"But you don't even like him. Well, you do, but not like that. I mean, well, I'm sorry," Erica said, giving Scarlett a sympathetic look. "The two of us always dreamed about our weddings and-"

"And it was never like this," Scarlett said, nodding in agreement. "At least you still have freedom. You can marry whoever you want."

Erica looked down at her feet. "So are you going to tell Justin?"

"Well, yes, I have to," Scarlett said. "It's been worrying me all morning, though. I have to tell him, but I have no idea when! Fred doesn't want anyone to know yet. He doesn't want Angelina to get scared away. I guess he has a point. What if I tell Justin now and he gets freaked out? I really like him and Fred likes Angelina and we're ruining each other's relationships!"

"Scarlett," Erica said, holding up a hand to put a stop to Scarlett's rambling. "If you want my honest opinion, you should tell Justin now. He'll keep it a secret for Fred's sake and for yours." She started pulling her brown curls into a bun. "As for me, you know I won't tell a soul."

Scarlett nodded and rested her head against the window, stretching her legs out on the seat beside her. She lifted her thick hair off her neck before pulling it off to one side. The ends dangled over her shoulder and she began playing with them absentmindedly.

"So," Erica began, "what did you do while you were staying in this dark, dingy house with Fred Weasley and his family?"

"I told them stories," Scarlett answered.

"You told them stories?" Erica looked as if she hadn't expected that answer at all. Maybe it was a little strange, but Scarlett had had fun doing it.

"Yeah," Scarlett shrugged. "Muggle fairy tales, actually."

"How did that start? Were they just begging you to share your knowledge of Muggle children's stories?"

"No," Scarlett laughed. "It started the night Fred and I found out we had to get married. We couldn't sleep."

"I can imagine," Erica snorted. "Was that all you did?"

"We cleaned," Scarlett said, shrugging. "The house needed it." She didn't want to say anything about the Order. She couldn't, actually, having been sworn to secrecy. She couldn't even tell Erica.

"Boring," Erica sighed. "I guess it's safe to say your summer was pretty terrible."

Scarlett shrugged. Actually, as nervous as she had originally been about going to Grimmauld Place, and as bad as everything sounded to an outsider, Scarlett's summer hadn't been all that bad. It could have been so much worse in a lot of ways.

"Where's Justin?" Erica asked. "I figured he'd want to sit with you."

Scarlett shrugged. "I have no idea where he is. He's probably with Ernie and Hannah. We'll see each other when we get to school, anyway."

Hours later, as the train finally slowed to a stop, Scarlett felt suddenly nervous. She would most likely end up sitting next to Justin at dinner. Would it be too sudden and too weird telling him the truth then? Most likely. She could tell him in the common room that night. Or maybe the next day. Or maybe not at all. She really just wanted to curl up under her covers, fall asleep and not wake up until the entire mess had taken care of itself.

"Scarlett!" She heard a voice yelling her name. Erica stifled a laugh and Scarlett swatted her and turned around. It was Justin.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"I'm glad I caught up to you," he said, smiling as he reached her. "I was hoping we could get a carriage together since I didn't see you at all on the train. Erica can join us too, of course." He smiled at Erica.

"We'd love to," Scarlett said.

Justin smiled wider and tentatively picked up Scarlett's hand. She felt her insides flip.

"So, why didn't you see me at all on the train?" she teased, smirking.

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't want to come find me?"

"Hey, it's a two way street, you know!" Justin laughed.

Scarlett smiled. "Well, at least you caught up to me now."

"Yeah, I shouldn't have. I should have just let you come find me. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too good to be around you," Justin teased.

"Oh, please," she snorted, nudging him. Erica pretended to gag and Scarlett shot her a look.

They walked to the carriages and Scarlett realized that Angelina, Fred and George were sitting in the carriage parked directly in front of them. She tried to walk slower so that it would leave before they got there, but Justin pulled on her hand and gave her a weird look.

"Why are you walking so slowly?"

"I'm not. I just-,"

"Hey," Angelina said, waving at Scarlett, Erica and Justin. "Come join our carriage. We need three more people. Katie, Alicia and Lee got stuck taking the carriage ahead of us." She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Er," Scarlett began, unsure of what to say.

"Come on," Fred grinned. Scarlett saw him glance at her and Justin's intertwined hands and smirk. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Fine," she said, climbing into the carriage and trying to sit as far away from Fred as possible. No luck, though. She ended up right across from him.

"I'm Justin Finch-Fletchley," Justin said, taking a seat next to Scarlett. He probably figured the others didn't know who he was. The only thing was that they did know. At least Fred did, anyway.

"We know." Fred smirked even wider and he subtly hit his knee against Scarlett's. She glared at him as the carriage started to move.

On Justin's other side, Erica was wearing the smile of someone trying incredibly hard to hold in their laughter. Scarlett wanted to make a face at her, too.

As the carriage rolled towards Hogwarts, Scarlett fought the urge to fling herself overboard. This ride was going to be _so_ awkward.


	8. Chapter 8

"_Always let your conscience be your guide." _

–**Jiminy Cricket (Pinocchio)**

* * *

"So," Fred began in a quiet tone as Scarlett jumped out of the carriage and landed next to him. They had just reached the school and Scarlett had been thankful for it until Fred started talking.

"Yes?" she asked, making her way towards the castle's front door.

"Has Justin asked you yet?" he whispered, glancing over his shoulder at Justin, who was busy talking to Erica. "Has he 'popped the question'?"

"That's for engagements," Scarlett sniffed.

"Not always," Fred said, smirking

Scarlett bit her lip. She wanted to flinch. Obviously, engagement was kind of a weird word for them right now. "Anyway," she continued, "no, he hasn't asked me out if that's what you mean. Have you asked Angelina?"

"No," Fred answered. "I'm asking her tonight in the common room."

They started heading for the front doors. "That's when I was going to tell Justin about the marriage thing."

"You're going to tell him? I thought we agreed not to!"

"We didn't agree on anything, and besides, Justin can keep a secret. He doesn't even talk to Angelina."

"It's not just Angelina who I'm worried about finding out. It's the whole school, really."

"Like I said, Justin can keep a secret. I told Erica, too."

"Scarlett," Fred groaned.

"What? Fred, people are going to find out eventually and Erica's my best friend. She'd kill me if she found out any later or from anyone else besides me."

"I'm not ready for _everyone_ to know yet. Are you?"

"No, but I didn't tell _everyone_. I told Erica and I plan on telling Justin. They deserve to know and so does Angelina. Telling them is the right thing to do."

"Look, I personally don't care if she's mad at me later for not telling her. I'll be married to you, not her."

"You don't want to stay friends with her?"

"I don't know if that'll happen," Fred sighed. "It's going to be weird no matter what we do. Anyway, my point is, I think it's us we need to worry about. If everyone finds out...well, it'll be hard. I mean, Angelina and Justin matter of course, but…well, in the end I won't be able to marry Angelina even if I wanted to."

"Do you?" Scarlett asked softly.

"I don't know. I'm seventeen years old!"

"Look, Fred, I'm sorry-," Scarlett began.

Fred shook his head. "It's as much my fault as it is yours. We did this together."

Scarlett looked up at him sadly and nodded. They had reached the entrance hall and Fred gave her the tiniest of smiles before catching up to George and Angelina and heading into the great hall with them.

"I didn't know you were friends with Fred Weasley," Justin said to Scarlett as they headed for the Hufflepuff table with Erica on their heels.

"I used to be," Scarlett said, throwing a glance towards the Gryffindor table where Fred was sitting between Angelina and George, laughing. Angelina gave him a small shove and Fred smiled wider. "Well," Scarlett continued, tearing her eyes away, "I guess we're sort of friends now, but I used to be really close with him."

"Oh," Justin said quietly, looking down at the table.

"He's asking Angelina out tonight and he wanted advice. That's what we were talking about outside." Scarlett stared at Justin, hoping he would buy the half lie. She hoped it would diffuse the sudden tension that had formed around them.

"Oh, so he has no interest in you?" Justin asked, brightening a bit.

"No," she answered quickly. "Not at all. Trust me, he really likes Angelina. It's obvious, isn't it?"

Justin gazed across the room at the Gryffindor table. "Yes, I suppose it is. Well, listen, Scarlett-,"

"I have to tell you something," she said at the same time.

"Oh, well, go ahead. You can go first," Justin said.

Scarlett paused. She kept weighing all the pros and cons of telling Justin the truth now. She didn't want to scare him away, or make him angry at Fred, but she didn't want to wait and let this get worse. Finally, she sighed. "No, you go first."

"Chicken," Erica muttered, poking Scarlett in the side. She flinched, but didn't turn to even send her friend a look.

"Well," Justin began nervously and all of a sudden, Scarlett knew what he was going to say. He was going to ask her out and then she really wouldn't be able to tell him the truth. That wouldn't be fair. Some part of her brain ordered her to stop him, but she didn't. She had wanted him to ask her out for ages.

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

He picked up her hand and intertwined their fingers. "I've been thinking about how to do this all summer and I just want to get it out as soon as possible. I really like you, and I wanted, well—I was wondering, if, well, you'd go out with me?"

Scarlett smiled. "I really like you too," she managed to get out.

"So, that's a yes?" Justin asked.

She paused and glanced at Erica, who simply shrugged.

"Yes," Scarlett finally said, "it is."

"Really? That's what I was hoping you'd say."

Scarlett gave him a smile. Just then, Professor McGonagall began bringing in the first years, so there wasn't time to talk.

Scarlett's head was practically spinning. She was ecstatic that Justin had finally asked her out. She kept repeating to herself that she had a boyfriend. On the other hand, she felt nervous. The fact that she had to tell him about her and Fred nagged at the back of her brain and every time she thought about it, she felt a jolt of anxiety. If she didn't tell Justin tonight, then when would be a good time to tell him?

* * *

"This is just what we need, isn't it?" Scarlett flung herself down onto the couch in the Hufflepuff common room after dinner. Her voice was filled with sarcasm. "The Ministry's interfering."

"I didn't like the sound of that new teacher's speech," Erica said wrinkling her nose.

"Did you see what she was _wearing_?" Scarlett asked.

"Too much pink," Justin agreed, sitting next to Scarlett and taking her hand.

"Way too much pink," she agreed with a smile. She leaned further into the squishy black couch and stared into the fire. Right now, Fred was probably asking Angelina out. She wondered how it was going.

"What are you thinking?" Justin asked quietly.

"Oh, here we go," Erica muttered, standing up and heading for the dormitories.

"What are you talking about?" Scarlett giggled.

"You two are about to get all…yuck." Erica wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sticking around for that."

"Okay, well goodnight then. I'll see you tomorrow." Scarlett gave her friend a half smile and a wave.

"So, what_ were_ you thinking about?" Justin asked as Erica disappeared.

"I was thinking about Fred and Angelina," she answered honestly. "Fred's asking her out tonight, remember? I'm wondering how it went."

"I'm sure it went fine," Justin said, "but honestly, all I care about right now is how well it worked out for us."

"I know," Scarlett answered, leaning into him. He put his arm around her and traced circles into her shoulder.

"I've wanted to ask you out for the longest time," Justin whispered with a tiny chuckle.

"I've wanted you to ask me out for a while, too," Scarlett giggled. "I'm glad you did."

"So am I," Justin answered quietly.

Scarlett turned her head to look at him and smiled. Justin tilted her chin up towards him and he kissed her.

Scarlett turned in her seat so that she was facing him better. She rested her hand on his cheek and smiled wider as he kissed her again. Her thoughts about Fred and Angelina were suddenly being driven from her mind.

* * *

"So you didn't tell him," Erica said flatly. They were walking to their first class together the next morning and Scarlett was updating Erica on the night before. Minus all of the kissing details, of course. She could just skim over those.

"No," she answered, "I didn't tell him. You think I should have." It was more of a statement than a question.

"It might have been easier before he asked you out," Erica shrugged.

"Yeah, but I wanted him to ask me out. I mean, I want him to know about Fred too, but I didn't want him to get scared off or think it wasn't worth asking me out. Come on, Erica, you know how much I like him."

Erica smiled. "Yeah, and it's obvious he really likes you, but I think he really needs to know what's going on. I mean, what if you told him the day before you married Fred?"

"I wouldn't wait _that_ long!" Scarlett said, laughing. "But that's what I'm worried about too. I told Fred we should have said something right away, but he really didn't want to. Then I told him Justin could keep a secret, but then Justin went and asked me out and-,"

"-you were too busy kissing him to worry about the fact that you have to get married to someone else in just under three years."

"Shut it," Scarlett laughed.

They reached their first class and took seats next to each other.

"I guess it's a good thing Justin doesn't have classes with us," Erica joked, "or else you'd be sitting with him instead of me."

"Oh please," Scarlett said with a roll of her eyes.

"And the same thing goes for Fred. I'm sure you would have wanted to sit with your future husband," Erica laughed. "We do have Herbology with him and George. I suppose the four of us will be working together."

"Keep your voice down," Scarlett whispered.

"I thought you wanted to tell people," Erica smirked.

"Not _everyone_. Just the important people."

"And I'm one of them? I'm so honored." Erica fluttered her eyelashes dramatically.

Scarlett rolled her eyes and shook her head. Just then, Professor Flitwick walked into the room then and got the class working in pairs on spells that were sure to come up in their NEWTs.

"A review for our NEWTs on the first day back at school," Erica muttered, waving her wand over her quill and making it soar around Scarlett's head. "I don't believe it."

"We need it," Scarlett said, snatching the quill out of the air and placing it back on the desk. "I mean, from the way the teachers talk about them and prepare us for them….Although I can't work out if they're serious or just trying to scare us."

"You know," Erica said, charming the quill into the air again and brushing it across Scarlett's face. "I can't believe you did it."

"Did what?" Scarlett asked. In her mind, they were still talking about the NEWTs.

"You scored one of the most popular, good looking boys in our year for your future husband and another great guy as your boyfriend."

Scarlett sighed. They were back on this subject again. "I didn't mean to make the Unbreakable Vow with Fred. Well, I guess I did, but I was nine!"

"And couldn't think for yourself?" Erica smirked teasingly. "You, Scarlett, need to save some boys for the rest of us."

"There are plenty left for you."

Erica shrugged.

"You know," Scarlett said with a smirk, "you could have made an Unbreakable Vow with some lucky boy, too. You just weren't as smart as I was."

"Unbreakable Vows are no laughing matter," Erica said, but Scarlett saw the corners of her mouth turn up. "And besides, why would I want to be involved in a huge relationship mess like the one you're in?"

"Admit it, you wish you had thought of doing what I did," Scarlett continued, waving her hand dismissively.

"Yes, you caught me," Erica sighed dramatically. "_Why_ was I such an incredibly dumb child?" Her words sent the girls into a fit of giggles that was almost impossible to stifle.


	9. Chapter 9

"_Yes, trust, it's what friends do."_

–**Dory (Finding Nemo)**

* * *

"Hi, what are you doing?"

Scarlett jumped slightly at the sudden voice in the quiet library. "Homework," she answered when she realized it was Fred. He was standing across from her, his hands resting on the table.

"On the first day of school?"

"Yes, there's just so much of it already, as I'm sure you know. It's kind of overwhelming."

No one said anything for a minute until Fred finally spoke up. "I asked her." He pulled out a chair and sat down. "I asked Angelina out."

"Yeah? How'd it go? Did she say yes?"

"If she didn't, do you think I would be sitting here grinning like an idiot?"

"Who knows? Maybe the shock of rejection made you delirious."

"Well she said yes." All of a sudden, Fred's face became serious. "Did you tell Justin? About the vow?"

Scarlett sighed. "No, I meant to, but I never got the opportunity."

"You chickened out," Fred said with a laugh.

"No, what happened was-,"

"Hey, Scarlett, I found the book on—oh, hi, Fred." Justin had just come around the corner, a book in his hands.

"Hey," Fred said with a tiny wave.

"What are you doing in the library?" Justin asked.

"I am allowed in here," Fred said exasperatedly. "I just _don't _come in here."

"That's why I'm asking."

"I needed to talk to Scarlett."

"More advice on Angelina? Merlin, Fred, just man up and ask her out."

Fred turned a light shade of pink as he gaped at Justin. Finally, he stood up and looked Justin in the eye. Fred was taller, so he had to look down at him. "I did ask her if you must know," he said quietly. "And she said yes."

"Well, that's great. Scarlett was concerned last night about how it was going but I told her I'm just glad it worked out between me and her."

"How it worked out between…?" Fred looked at Scarlett and his eyes went wide. "Oh," he said slowly in a stage whisper.

"Yeah," Scarlett said, nodding.

"So you didn't…?"

"No," Scarlett interrupted, shooting him a look. "I already told you I didn't."

"Didn't what?" Justin asked.

"Say no. That's what I was wondering," Fred said quickly, still looking at Scarlett.

"Well, obviously she didn't say no," Justin laughed. He looked at Fred a little strangely. "Are you okay? You've been acting a little odd."

"How would you know?" Fred retaliated, whipping around to look at Justin. "You hardly know me."

"No, you're right, I don't," Justin shrugged. "I was just wondering. That's all."

"I'm not trying to steal your lovely lady, if that's what you're worried about," Fred said, heading for the door. "I have my own. So you two enjoy yourselves. Study hard!" With one last smirk over his shoulder, he was gone.

"Don't mind him," Scarlett said, tugging on Justin's sleeve to get him to sit down. "He's just…well I don't exactly know what he is, but forget about it."

"I wasn't thinking that he was trying to steal you."

"You weren't?" Scarlett asked with a slight smirk.

"No," Justin said, shaking his head. "Even if he was, I know you're with me. I know you wouldn't let him steal you." He grinned and tapped her nose.

"Yeah, and he has Angelina," Scarlett added. There was a pause. "Justin?"

"Hm?" He began sorting through his work that was spread out on the library table.

"Would you hate it if Fred and I were together?"

"What kind of question is that?" Justin asked, looking up in surprise.

"I was just wondering how upset you would be."

"You mean if he liked you?"

"Yeah," she answered after another brief pause.

"Or if you liked each other and started dating before I could ask you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, would you be angry?"

"Well, yeah, I'd be a little upset," Justin shrugged.

"You would," Scarlett said, trying to keep her tone somewhat flat. Of course he would be upset. It only made sense, but it made Scarlett's stomach flutter with anxiety hearing it out loud.

"Yeah, I'd be mad that someone else got to you first. Especially someone like Fred."

"Someone like Fred? What do you mean?"

"He's extremely popular. All the girls love him. I'm actually kind of surprised that you agreed to go out with me in the first place. I would hate losing to a guy like Fred."

Scarlett fought the urge to groan. How was Justin going to react when she finally told him she had to get _married_ to Fred?

"But at the same time," Justin continued, "he would have gotten to you first fair and square and I would have had to live with it. Luckily, though, I don't have to worry about that." He grinned and kissed her cheek. "Why are you asking me these questions anyway? To test me and figure out how much I like you?"

"You caught me," Scarlett snorted.

"Hey," Justin answered, snatching her homework out from in front of her. When she leaned over to get it, he kissed her and she kissed him back, pushing her guilt out of her mind.

* * *

"She's a nightmare!" Scarlett exclaimed to Erica after leaving their Defense Against the Dark Arts class the next day. "Honestly, I can't believe she's allowed to teach here."

"I don't think Dumbledore had much say in the matter," Erica said. "If it were up to him, he wouldn't have allowed her in a million years. But she is horrible."

"Talking about Umbridge?" Fred appeared next to Scarlett with George at his side.

"Yes," Scarlett answered.

"We had her yesterday," George said, gesturing to himself and Fred. "We wanted to toss the textbook right back at her by the end of the class."

"What stopped you?" Scarlett snorted, still annoyed by Umbridge's teaching methods.

"It's too early in the year for that sort of thing," Fred said. "Plus, we don't usually _attack_ teachers. Pranks are as far as we'll go and only with Snape. The other pranks we usually pull are class distractions or on other people, like Malfoy. Umbridge might have to be an exception, though if her lesson was any indicator of what the rest of the year will be like."

"No magic!" Scarlett exclaimed. "How are we supposed to learn?"

"We don't," Fred shrugged. "Unless we memorize the textbook. Or at least open it for that matter, neither of which George and I will be doing."

"But reading the textbook won't teach us anything, no matter what the Ministry thinks," Erica chimed in.

"Exactly," Scarlett said. She looked up at Fred. "So, where's Angelina?"

"Where's the Finch, your feathered friend?" Fred responded quickly.

"Hey," Scarlett aimed a kick at Fred's ankle, but he dodged it, laughing. "Stop being so rude! I mean it."

"It's called having a laugh. Lighten up, Scar."

"Don't tell me to lighten up, Fred Weasley," Scarlett said. "He's my boyfriend. I have every right to stand up for him when you aren't being nice."

"Hmm," Fred said. "That's very good of you. Does that mean when we're married you'll stand up for _me_?"

"Oh, stop it," Scarlett sighed.

"I'm being serious!" Fred laughed. "Anyway, I'm going to meet Angelina now. She should be finishing up with her Potions class. Doesn't Justin wait for you outside of _your_ classes?"

"Stop being obnoxious," Scarlett frowned.

"Yeah, you don't have the right to be mean to her _or_ Justin, no matter what the situation is," Erica said, managing to get her two cents in. She gave Fred a pointed look and his smile faltered.

"Fine," he said. "I'll try to be nice."

"You'll try. That's a start, I suppose," Scarlett sighed. "And it doesn't matter if Justin waits for me outside of classes or not. He's really nice and I really like him."

"Okay," Fred shrugged. "As long as you're happy. I'm not the one dating him."

"Yeah, I am happy," Scarlett said.

"Good. So am I."

"Great."

"Isn't it?"

"Goodbye." Scarlett rolled her eyes and sped up, walking away from the twins.

"Come on, Scar, I thought we were friends!" Fred called after her, laughing. "I know you think it's funny when I tease the Finch! You're just such a good Hufflepuff that loyalty comes first!"

As Scarlett rounded the corner, she paused and looked back at Fred, giving him the tiniest of smiles. She shook her head. "You're wrong," she mouthed. "It's not funny."

Fred grinned and shrugged before turning and heading in the opposite direction with George at his side.

Later that night, Scarlett was heading back from the library alone. It was nearly midnight. Justin had gone back to the common room ages ago. Even though he was taking his OWLs this year, he didn't have nearly as much homework as Scarlett was getting. She now saw just how much more homework NEWT students had to do.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand and pulled her behind a statue. She gasped, but then she saw that it was only Fred and calmed down slightly. "What are you doing? You scared me half to death."

"You told me you haven't been on a broom in ages," Fred answered simply, holding up an object that Scarlett had only just noticed: his broom.

"No, Fred, that's ridiculous," she said, shaking her head. "It's getting late, it's dark out and-,"

"All the more reason to do this. Ever since you told me how your mother sold your broom and you haven't been on one since then, well, it's been bothering me. And nighttime rides are the best."

"Why do you care so much?"

"No one should go through such horrible flying deprivation. I'm just trying to help you out."

"What if we get caught?" Scarlett asked hesitantly.

"We won't, trust me. I've done this many times."

"I'm sure you have, but-,"

"But what?" Fred asked with a smirk.

Scarlett sighed. "What about Angelina? Why aren't you doing this for her?"

"She's always on her broom," Fred said. "I did this to surprise you. A friend surprising a friend." He paused. "It's not like I'm cheating on Angelina."

"She wouldn't assume the worst if she saw us right now behind this statue or riding a broom together at night?"

"Would Justin?"

"Maybe but I asked you about Angelina first."

Fred shrugged. "I don't know, but I doubt anyone will find out. We can skip it if you want, though."

Scarlett paused. "One question. How did you know where I was?"

"I saw you heading to the library after dinner."

"We really shouldn't be doing this."

"Stop worrying, will you? It's nothing bad. It's not like I suggested we go snog in a broom cupboard."

"Yet you pulled me behind a _statue_. I'd say there's more room in a broom cupboard, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, they are pretty cozy."

"You would know. How many girls have you snogged in broom cupboards, anyway?"

"Nosy, nosy," Fred chided, smirking at her. "But, only two if you must know."

"Really?"

"Angelina, obviously, and Alicia as a dare in fifth year. Anyway, back to the topic at hand." He held up his broom. "Yes or no?"

"Okay," Scarlett finally said slowly. "I'll do it."

Fred grinned. "Great, come on, let's go."

Scarlett left her books behind the statue and she and Fred headed down to the Quidditch pitch. "We'll start here," Fred said, climbing onto his broom. Scarlett hesitated and he looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Well, what are you waiting for? Here, get in front of me so you can see better."

Scarlett paused again before swinging her leg over the broom and situating herself in front of Fred. He wound one arm around her waist and used the other to hold onto the broom handle. Scarlett could feel his chest against her back and it made her even more nervous.

"This is us bonding, isn't it?" she asked. "We're just getting used to each other?"

Fred let out a loud laugh and Scarlett twisted around to shoot him a look. "Sure, it's us bonding," Fred chuckled. "Why are you so nervous?"

"You made me keep the vow thing a secret from Justin. This looks really bad if he finds out."

"It looks better than standing behind that statue," Fred teased.

"Fred!" Scarlett groaned.

"And I _made_ you keep this a secret? I don't remember _making_ you do anything."

"Well, you put the idea in my head."

"We don't like each other. I don't like you and you don't like me. At least not like that. What can Justin and Angie possibly get mad at? Plus, it's nearly midnight. Who's going to be looking out their windows at us?"

Scarlett didn't answer at first. "Nobody," she finally sighed.

"It was a rhetorical question, but yes, I doubt anyone will see us. Will you just relax so we can go?" He laughed again.

"Fine," Scarlett said, taking a deep breath and letting it out as she turned around to face the front again. "Let's go."

"You still seem nervous," Fred said.

"What makes you think that?" Scarlett asked. She didn't turn around again. Instead, she kept her eyes fixated on the broom handle.

"You still haven't relaxed yet," Fred said. "You're as tense as a board. Either you do really like me after all and I'm making you nervous or you really hate me. And I haven't been under the impression that you hate me, so…." Scarlett didn't have to turn around to know that he was smirking.

"Be quiet," she complained. "You're annoying, you know that?" She sighed. "It's just that I haven't been on a broom in so long…."

"That's what you're nervous about?" Fred asked with a small laugh.

"Yeah, why, is that funny to you?"

"No," Fred said quickly. "It's just…I've always been comfortable on a broom. I've been flying for as long as I can remember. I can't imagine it making anyone nervous."

"I just haven't flown since I was nine. It's almost a little foreign to me now, so I'm not as comfortable as you are."

"That's why we're doing this," Fred said calmly. "I mean, we _are_ supposed to be bonding and getting close to each other again, so I thought this would be a good way to do that. Plus, you'll be getting comfortable with flying again."

Scarlett was silent for a moment. "Fred, I-,"

"Do you trust me?" he interrupted.

"What?" she asked, turning to face him again.

"Do you trust me?" he repeated, speaking a little slower.

"Yes," she said a little hesitantly, looking him right in the eye.

A grin spread over Fred's face and before Scarlett could say or do anything more, he had pushed off the ground and they were rocketing towards the sky at an incredible speed. Scarlett let out a gasp and gripped the broom handle tighter, leaning back into Fred's chest. Not that she had to do much leaning on her own, though. The incline forced her to lean into him.

"Can't you slow down?" she screamed over the wind howling in their ears.

"Not yet," Fred yelled back, shaking his head to shift Scarlett's hair out of his face. They continued to rocket towards the sky until Fred leveled the broom and started flying them in a slow circle. "Holding up okay?" he asked.

"Fine," Scarlett breathed out as her heart rate returned to normal. "You know," she said after a pause, "it almost looked as if-,"

"We were going to end up touching the stars?" Fred finished.

"Yeah," she replied.

"It's almost like being free," Fred said, using the words he had spoken at Grimmauld Place.

"What do we have to be free from here?" Scarlett asked. "We're at Hogwarts, not at Grimmauld Place. We're free from all that home stuff."

"That's true," Fred said, "but now Umbridge is here. She and the Ministry are trying to change Hogwarts. She's already given Harry a week's worth of detention for talking about You-Know-Who and she won't let us use magic in class."

"She's really enforcing the rules," Scarlett said, nodding in agreement. "You're right, though, because sometimes you just feel so-,"

"Trapped?" Fred asked.

"Exactly," she sighed.

"Do you feel trapped knowing about the vow?"

"Kind of," she answered. "I mean, we're being forced into this. We have no choice and it's not that you aren't a great guy. You are, but…"

"But this wasn't the way you pictured becoming engaged," Fred finished. "And I'm not the person you pictured getting married to."

Scarlett nodded. "I never pictured anyone in particular. I mean, I planned to get married sometime after I'd left school and secured a job but I've never even been in a serious relationship before so it's not like I could even guess who it might be."

"You never pictured the Finch?"

Scarlett shook her head and refrained from rolling her eyes. "No, I only started liking Justin recently and it's not serious enough where I would picture him. Besides, I'm seventeen. I have no idea what could happen down the road. Well, actually now I do. I know I'm marrying you. That's where the trapped feeling comes in."

"I agree," Fred said. He flew them around in circles for another minute before changing direction. "How about an outdoor tour of Hogwarts by broomstick?"

"I'd have to go along whether I wanted to or not," Scarlett answered. "I very well can't just get off the broom."

Fred laughed. "Well, you _could_…."

"Fred!" Scarlett laughed.

They fell into silence as they flew all around the Hogwarts grounds.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Fred asked.

Scarlett nodded as she looked at the castle, lit up with a few lights here and there and illuminated from the outside by moonlight.

"This is why I love flying and taking broom rides so much," Fred whispered. "Everything looks so different. And when you're flying, there's nobody else around. Nobody can tell you anything. They can't tell you what to do or where to go."

Scarlett smirked and craned her neck to look back at Fred. "Go down to the lake," she demanded.

"You ruined it," Fred groaned. Nonetheless, he turned the broom towards the lake.

"I know what you meant, though," Scarlett said as they flew low over the water. Her shoes were inches from getting wet. She looked down at their blurry reflection. "It really is like being free. All of your problems go away for a little while."

"Exactly," Fred said. He reached down and skimmed the water with the fingertips of one hand, keeping the other on Scarlett's hip. She kept the broom steady until Fred sat back up again and slid his arm back around her waist, taking the broom handle in the other.

"This was nice," Scarlett said after they had landed and gone back inside. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure," Fred said with a dramatic bow as Scarlett giggled.

"Well, I'll see you later then."

"Are you okay walking back to your common room alone?" Fred asked.

"Oh, yeah," she said quickly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just that it's late. I don't want you to get in trouble. You still have to go back and get your books from behind the statue, too."

"I can manage," Scarlett said with a smile. "I appreciate your concern, though."

"A friend helping a friend," Fred shrugged, grinning.

"A friend helping a friend," she repeated, taking a few steps backwards in the direction she needed to go in. "Well, bye," she said, suddenly feeling awkward and nervous again.

"Bye," Fred said, looking slightly awkward as well for the first time all night. It was as if he didn't know what else to say.

Scarlett turned and headed up the stairs. She reached the statue and retrieved her books before making her way back to her common room. Halfway there, she heard a loud noise from a classroom to her right. She paused for a moment and looked left and right before entering the room. A pile of books lay scattered on the floor, clearly having just fallen off the bookshelf on the far side of the wall. Scarlett looked around again before walking across the room and bending down to pick up the books. As she did, she saw Mrs. Norris a few feet away, staring at her.

"Did you do this?" she asked the cat. Mrs. Norris didn't move. Before Scarlett could do anything else, the door suddenly slammed closed with a loud bang. Scarlett let out a small scream and jumped to her feet.

"Who's there?" she asked, holding her wand up. The moonlight coming in through the window gave off just enough light for Scarlett to see that nobody had come into the room. "Must have been Peeves," she muttered under her breath, gathering her own books from the floor. When she crossed the room and tried to open the door, she found that it wouldn't open. She jiggled the knob and pushed against the door, but nothing worked. She was trapped in a classroom with only Mrs. Norris for company.

* * *

**A/N: I know Scarlett getting locked in a classroom seems pretty random right now, but it's important for later and it'll all be explained eventually.**

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**


	10. Chapter 10

"_Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair."_

**-Rapunzel**

* * *

Scarlett woke up the next morning and didn't know where she was. When her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw her surroundings and instantly remembered. She was in the classroom she had gone into the night before. She had never managed to escape and had eventually fallen asleep on the floor, which was hard to do with Mrs. Norris staring at her.

Remembering Mrs. Norris caused Scarlett to look around the room. The cat was in the back corner, her tail flicking and her red eyes gleaming as she stared at Scarlett. Had she been watching her all night?

The panic was staring to sink in again as Scarlett pushed herself into a sitting position and leaned against the wall. She didn't know how she was going to get out before classes started for the day. Banging on the door last night hadn't done anything; nobody had been awake to hear her. Even now it was still too early for people to be near the classrooms. Breakfast wouldn't even be starting for another half an hour.

Scarlett also vaguely thought of Filch and wondered if he had spent the whole night searching the castle for his precious cat. Surely he would have come across the classroom, but maybe not. There were too many rooms in Hogwarts to search all in one night. It didn't really add up. Something seemed strange, but Scarlett didn't have time to think about it because she suddenly became aware of a tapping noise against the window every few seconds. It must have been what had awakened her in the first place. She stood up slowly, feeling sore from sleeping on a stone floor all night, and made her way to the window. Looking down, she saw Fred standing on the ground, his broom in one hand and his wand in the other, charming rocks to hit the window.

Scarlett giggled and pushed the window open. A rock flew inside and she ducked to avoid it. It clattered to the floor behind her.

"Oi, Rapunzel!" Fred yelled. He shielded his eyes from the sunlight and looked up at Scarlett, grinning.

"That's not what you're supposed to say!" Scarlett yelled back.

"Are you complaining?"

"No." Scarlett laughed and shook her head.

"Anyway, I was going to rescue you, but I don't think your hair is long enough."

"No, I'm afraid it isn't," Scarlett said, deciding to play along.

"Well, that's okay because I happen to have a backup plan." Fred mounted his broom and flew up to the window. "Too bad Rapunzel's prince couldn't fly a broom, eh?"

"Are you saying you're my prince?" Scarlett teased.

"You know very well I'm not. That would be the Finch, but I don't see his lazy arse up here saving you. He's slacking."

"How did you know I was stuck up here?" Scarlett asked, leaning on the windowsill and ignoring Fred's newest poke at her boyfriend.

"Angelina wanted to have an early morning Quidditch practice," Fred began, gesturing to the Quidditch robes he was wearing. "I swear she's turning out to be as crazy a captain as Wood was."

"You're dating her," Scarlett said with a laugh.

"I know," Fred answered. "Anyway, I guess on Ginny's way to practice, she overheard Peeves yelling about you being locked in here."

"I knew it was Peeves who did it," Scarlett muttered.

"Yeah, I mean, it had to have been someone because the doors only lock from the inside, so something must be stuck under the handle on the outside. It was probably his idea of a joke."

"Yeah, well, he locked Mrs. Norris in here with me. The cat knocked over a pile of books and when I went to pick them up, the door slammed shut. I think she was watching me all night."

"I am _so_ sorry," Fred said, wrinkling his nose. "That must have been awful. If I had known that, I would have definitely skipped practice to come and get you. I considered doing that anyway, but I didn't think it would go over well with Angelina."

"Because you'd be skipping practice or because her boyfriend would be going to save another girl?"

Fred shrugged. "I actually think she'd be more upset about the practice. I mean, you were locked in a classroom overnight. She's not heartless, you know. I don't think she'd have a problem with me saving you."

"Just as long as you didn't have to leave practice to do it," Scarlett said.

"Yeah," Fred shrugged.

"I still can't believe you actually came to get me," Scarlett laughed, "but why didn't you just come to the door? You could have moved whatever's in front of it."

"Why would I do that when I could have done this?" Fred gestured to his broom. "This way is so much better. Now are you going to get on or what? I don't have all day."

Scarlett smiled and hoisted herself onto the windowsill. She hesitated. "Fly closer."

Fred smirked and drifted closer to the window. "Better?"

Scarlett nodded and climbed onto the back of the broom, wrapping her arms around Fred's stomach hesitantly.

"I don't bite, you know," Fred said, looking over his shoulder at her.

She shot him a look before tightening her grip on him and resting her chin on his back. "Just fly." They flew in silence until Scarlett finally broke it. "Why do you tease me about Justin so much anyway?"

Fred laughed and shook his head, but didn't answer. Scarlett was going to press him for more information, but just as she opened her mouth, they reached the Astronomy tower. "Why are we landing here?" Scarlett asked.

"It's an equal distance between Gryffindor tower and the Hufflepuff common room. It's the closest we can get to where we each need to go without breaking down any walls as we fly through them."

"Oh," Scarlett said, quickly getting off the broom. "Fred?"

"Yeah?" he asked, climbing off the broom and heading for the stairs. Scarlett followed him, looking down at her fingers.

"What are we going to do? I mean, there's obviously nothing between us, but how are we going to be married when there are no feelings?"

"We'll figure it out," Fred shrugged. "We might just have to live with it but we do have two and a half years. There's a chance we could fall for each other." He said it almost questioningly and Scarlett picked up on it right away.

"You don't think we will."

"It just seems so impossible. We're both so crazy about other people."

"But I mean how are we going to _act_ around each other once we're married?"

Fred stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. "I never really thought about that. I suppose we can just continue to act as friends. We don't have to touch each other or even kiss, except at the wedding, and the Vow said nothing about having kids…."

"Thankfully," Scarlett muttered, passing him and continuing down the stairs.

"I'm insulted," Fred said as she passed.

"You should be," Scarlett retaliated, smirking over her shoulder. "But really, it's for the best. If we don't have kids, I mean. Clearly, we're not comfortable with that."

"I've always wanted to have kids one day, though," Fred said quietly.

"Really?" Scarlett asked, reaching the bottom of the steps and turning to look at him.

"Yeah, why do you look so surprised?"

"I'm not, it's just…I didn't know."

"Don't you want kids one day?"

"Well, yes, of course, but-,"

"The idea of having them with me is out of the question, right? Repulsive, even?"

"No, Fred," she said quickly. "I just-,"

"I know, I'm just messing with you," he grinned. "Making you sweat." His grin faltered slightly. "That's going to be a problem, then, isn't it? Having kids?"

"There's always adoption," Scarlett suggested. "But no matter what there's going to be the problem of the child asking why their parents don't love each other and putting on an act for them will just be tiring and-,"

"Scarlett, stop," Fred said, reaching out and putting his hands on her shoulders.

"You're right. Too overwhelming," she sighed, nodding. "I'm just thinking too much, as usual. It's just that I can't believe we actually have to discuss this."  
"We don't have to discuss it right now. We can wait until the time comes."

Scarlett sighed. "Yeah, let's just take this one step at a time."

"Good idea," Fred answered, looking relieved.

Scarlett nodded. "See you later, then?"

"Yeah, of course," Fred answered with a small smile.

"Oh, and Fred? Thank you for what you did. You really are a good friend."

"Just as good as I was when we were nine?"

Scarlett smiled and nodded. "Yeah…you haven't changed all that much."

"Neither have you."

Scarlett smiled wider and turned to walk away.

"Scarlett," Fred called after her.

"Yeah?" she asked as she turned back to face him.

"Since this Vow thing is happening…." He looked at her almost nervously. "Well, I'm glad it happened with you. I just mean…if I'm going to ruin my relationship with Angelina, it might as well be with you." He broke into a smirk as he met her eyes.

"Gee, thanks," Scarlett snorted. "Bye, Fred." With that, she waved and walked away.

* * *

"Were you in the library _all_ night?" Justin asked at breakfast.

"Yeah, really," Erica added from Scarlett's other side. "Even _I'm_ not spending that much time on my homework." She glanced up from sketching her latest clothing design. Erica was determined to be a fashion designer once she left school. She'd be so good at it, too. She was artistic, creative and not afraid to think outside the box.

"You don't really have to spend a lot of time on your homework. You're like a sponge. You just absorb all the material and keep it locked inside of you. I don't know how you didn't get put in Ravenclaw. Anyway, no I wasn't in the library all night. I got locked in a classroom."

"Locked in a classroom?" Erica and Justin asked in shock.

"How did you manage that?" Erica asked.

"Mrs. Norris knocked a stack of books off a shelf and when I went to pick them up, somebody locked me in. Apparently it was just Peeves."

"You were there all night?" Justin scanned her face as if checking for injuries.

"With that cat?" Erica asked.

"Yeah, but I'm fine. I was just locked in a classroom. I'm not hurt."

"Lucky Mrs. Norris didn't scratch your eyes out," Justin muttered.

"How did you escape?" asked Erica.

Scarlett hesitated. "Fred came to get me."

"Fred," Justin repeated as Erica's eyebrows shot up.

"He had an early morning Quiddich practice," Scarlett explained, "and he heard from Ginny who heard from Peeves where I was."

"I would have gotten you out if I had known," Justin said. "You know that, don't you?"

Scarlett smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Of course I do. Look, don't worry about Fred. We're friends. We were close when we were younger and we just recently started talking again. It's no big deal. It just looks strange because of the timing of it all."

Justin didn't answer right away, but finally he looked up and nodded. "Okay," he said, "I'll see you after class." He kissed her before standing up and leaving.

"We should head to class as well," Erica said and from the tone of her voice, Scarlett knew her friend was going to give her a lecture on the hole she was currently digging herself into.

Scarlett nodded and stood up, heading for the door with Erica at her side. She half wanted to tell Erica not to say anything, but it was better to just let her friend rant and get it all out.

"Why did you tell Justin that this thing with Fred was no big deal and that you're just friends?" Erica said the moment they had reached the staircase.

"I told him that because it's true. We are friends."

"You may not like Fred romantically, but you still have to marry him. Telling Justin your relationship with Fred is no big deal isn't going to make it easier when you actually tell him about the vow, which you still haven't even done! I told you on the train that you should tell him right away."

"I know and I promise I was planning on it. I wanted to tell him on the first night we got here, but now it's turned into us being here for three days and I haven't said anything. Every time I want to say something, I can't! I'm afraid. He'll hate knowing he's going to lose me to a guy like Fred. He already kind of hinted at that the other day. Besides, Fred hasn't told Angelina." Scarlett's voice was defiant as she spoke.

"That doesn't mean you can't tell Justin. And you have to tell him. Marrying Fred is inevitable. Justin needs to know. From you. Not from anyone else or by any other means except for you telling him."

"You're completely right and I know that. I just think, well, I don't know, maybe Fred's rubbing off on me."

"Wonderful," Erica said with a laugh. "Are you going to start pulling pranks on everyone in sight? Sneaking out after hours?"

That reminded Scarlett of the broom ride with Fred before she had gotten locked in the classroom. As much as she didn't want to, she had to tell Erica. They had never kept anything from each other.

"I _was_ out after hours last night, though. Thankfully I didn't get stopped by a teacher."

"Yeah, but you were at the library. That's different. Usually, teachers are more lenient about people being in the library after hours. Especially if you're an OWL or a NEWT student. Of course, Umbridge probably would be the one who wouldn't bend that rule at all, but…." Erica shrugged.

"Well I _was_ in the library most of the night, and I did leave after hours, but then before I got locked in the classroom, well…"

"Where did you go?" Erica asked hesitantly.

"Fred took me on a broom ride," she said quickly. "Don't get mad; it was nothing! We were bonding."

"If it was really nothing, why are you so quick to defend yourself before I even had a chance to reply?" Erica smirked.

"Because I thought you'd be upset! I mean, I was even nervous to go at first. It felt like I was cheating on Justin."

"But you weren't because you and Fred are _just_ _friends_, right?"

"Are you mocking me?"

"Maybe I am."

"Fred and I _are_ just friends! Friends who have to get married."

Erica snorted. "Look, I'll be honest, a broom ride at night certainly _sounds_ romantic, but I believe you when you say you have no feelings for Fred. If you did, you wouldn't have said yes to Justin in the first place. I know you're not a cheater, Scarlett."

Scarlett nodded and smiled. "Sorry I didn't say anything at breakfast. I didn't really think about it, but I also don't think I should tell Justin. Not just yet, at least."

"I actually agree," Erica said. "Telling him about the broom ride would just make him extremely paranoid. He's already slightly suspicious, which is why you have to tell him that you and Fred have to get married. After that, maybe he'll understand that you were just hanging out with Fred to bond."

"He still won't like it," Scarlett said. "And he'll still break up with me. It just makes everything worse that it's Fred. Justin basically told me he would have hated to lose me to Fred but he's just glad that he got to me first and that it worked out."

Erica giggled. "What he doesn't know is that Fred really did get to you first. He basically marked you as his territory eight years ago."

"Shut up!" Scarlett laughed. They reached their class and took a seat. It was Defense Against the Dark Arts and Scarlett was not looking forward to spending another class reading from the textbook.

Umbridge walked in just then and the class fell silent. She reached the front of the room and turned to face the class. Her toad-like eyes scanned the room and she cleared her throat. "Good morning. You may take out your textbooks and begin reading the second chapter. There will be no need to talk and no need for your wands, so put them away if you please."

There was a sudden burst of noise and movement as the few people who had taken out their wands in hopes of using them put them away.

Once everyone had their books open, Umbridge smiled and took a seat behind her desk, grinning out at them. Scarlett found that smile to be extremely discomforting as opposed to genuinely cheerful. Fred had been right; this woman was going to try to change Hogwarts and it wasn't going to be for the better. Scarlett sighed. It did seem that no matter where she was lately, she was always trapped with no way out. Maybe Fred had been on to something with that broom ride after all. It seemed like that was going to be the closest thing to escaping for both of them at the moment.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed and/or added this story to their favorites/alerts. I'm glad people are enjoying it. **

**I hope everyone who the hurricane affected is safe. Thankfully I only lost power for a day, but I've heard about the damage in the New York/New Jersey area, so I'm hoping everyone's staying safe. **

**Also, Happy Halloween! Anyone doing anything special?**


	11. Chapter 11

_"I'm gonna hit you so hard, it'll make your ancestors dizzy." _

**-Yao (Mulan)**

* * *

"I hope you aren't going to be doing homework next Saturday," Justin said one night about two weeks later. He and Scarlett were sitting at a corner of the common room, doing homework together.

"I just might be," Scarlett answered. "Are you?"

"Am I what?" Justin laughed and kissed her cheek.

Scarlett giggled. "Are you going to be doing homework next Saturday?"

"No, I'm not."

"And why's that?"

"Well, it's the first Hogsmeade trip of the year," Justin said with a smirk. "I was hoping we could go together."

"Oh," Scarlett said, looking up. She had completely forgotten about Hogsmeade. "Well in that case, I'm sure I can ignore my homework for one day." She grinned at her boyfriend and nudged him with her knee.

"Good," Justin smiled. "You've been working way too hard."

"So have you," Scarlett pointed out.

"Yeah, but you've been working harder. If this," Justin gestured to Scarlett's huge stack of books, "is any indicator of what it's like to be a NEWT student, then maybe I don't ever want to be one."

"Oh, please," Scarlett snorted, rolling her eyes. "Of course you do. This isn't that bad."

"I'm not stupid, you know. You and all the other seventh years have been swamped with work."

"Maybe just a little," Scarlett sighed.

"A little?" Justin teased.

"Okay, fine, you're right," Scarlett laughed. "I've been busy, but next Saturday, I'll get to spend the day in Hogsmeade with you."

"I like the idea of that," Justin said with a smile.

"So do I," she answered, smiling back.

* * *

"How does it feel to be away from your homework for a little while?" Justin asked, swinging his and Scarlett's intertwined hands as they walked into Hogsmeade.

"Wonderful," she sighed. "How does it feel to be away from yours?"

"Amazing," Justin said happily.

Scarlett laughed and squinted in the bright sun. "Okay, so where should we go first?"

"Honeydukes, the Three Broomsticks, the Shrieking Shack…." Justin began rambling off suggestions.

"The Shrieking Shack?" Scarlett asked with a laugh. "Why would you want to go there?"

"We could get some alone time," Justin responded, bumping her arm.

"Technically, we're alone now," Scarlett said with a smirk.

"Not really," Justin answered, looking around at all of the people moving through Hogsmeade.

Scarlett looked at him. "Okay, then the Shrieking Shack it is."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not? Let's go."

As they were passing the Three Broomsticks, Scarlett glanced inside and saw Harry sitting with Ron and Hermione. "I kind of feel bad," she said, gesturing at their table that was just inside the window.

"Why?"

"Nobody believes him. Everyone thinks he's lying about You-Know-Who being back. The papers are bad enough, but even some of the students at school don't believe him. I talked to Ginny the other day and she said Seamus and Harry even got into a little argument on the first night back."

"Seamus believes the Daily Prophet?" Justin asked.

Scarlett nodded. "It's pathetic, really. People will believe anything they read without even getting both sides of the story."

"Oh, and you have?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah. I've talked to Harry before. Granted, I don't know him all that well, but he doesn't seem like the type to make up stories about You-Know-Who for the fun of it. Why, don't you believe him?"

Justin sighed. "I don't know, Scar."

Scarlett stopped and stared at him. "So you believe what the newspaper's been saying?" she asked, trying to ignore the fact that if he said yes, she had unknowingly called him pathetic only moments ago.

"Maybe it's because my parents are Muggles, but they're a little more skeptic about this whole thing, so naturally I-,"

"You're not a Muggle, though," Scarlett argued. "You've been in the wizarding world since you were eleven. And don't you have Herbology with Harry? Don't you think he's trustworthy? Don't you think _Dumbledore's_ trustworthy?"

"Scar, ever since I got my Hogwarts letter—ever since I showed my first signs of magic, actually, I knew I was different than my parents and most of the relatives I knew. Coming to Hogwarts, I knew most people came from wizarding families and I knew that while everyone else at Hogwarts was a witch or a wizard, I was different and I just wanted to make sure I fit in. It's so…_easy_ to just agree with what most people are saying. Not everyone likes Muggleborns. That's obvious enough, isn't it? I don't want to draw any more attention to myself."

Scarlett squeezed his hand. "You fit in fine."

"You're supposed to say that."

"I'm not. I'm saying it because it's true." After a pause, she continued. "So, are you just _saying_ that you don't agree with Harry or do you really mean it?"

Justin hesitated. "I'm not sure what to think. I haven't taken any sides."

"Well, I'm not going to try to convince you either way, but you know what I think," Scarlett shrugged.

"I suppose if you believe him, then that should be good enough for me."

"Don't just believe him because _I_ said so," Scarlett laughed. "Believe something because you want to believe it, not because other people are."

"Easy for you to say. You fit in just like everyone else."

"If you remember, one of my parents was a Muggle, too."

"Yeah, just one of them. I grew up knowing nothing about magic or wizardry."

"What do _you_ think?" Scarlett asked. "Forget about me and forget about everyone else. Just tell me right now what you think."

"Well, like you said before, it seems odd that Harry would make that up, but on the other hand, there's no proof."

"It's not like we can get any, though. It's not like anyone can force You-Know-Who to come out into the open until he's ready. Of course, anyone who'd want to is mental."

"Yes, and that's just the way it is. There's no proof and it's not easy to get any proof."

"Why do you always need proof?" Scarlett asked. "Haven't you ever just _trusted_?"

"I don't trust just anyone."

"I didn't say just _anyone_."

"So you're saying you want me to trust Dumbledore and Harry and you, seconds after you just told me to come up with my own beliefs? What if I told you I truly believed Dumbledore was out of his mind?"

"Then you wouldn't still be here at Hogwarts," Scarlett said. "You would have left. Besides, you did just say it seemed odd that Harry would make something up about You-Know-Who. I thought that meant you believed him."

"Yeah, but then I said there's no proof."

"So, you're still on the fence."

"Yes, and that is my decision," Justin said, nodding decisively. "See? I'm not picking one side or the other. I'm making my own choice and picking the middle where it's safe and nobody can pick me apart for what I believe. Including you," he laughed.

Scarlett giggled. "Fine, fine, I'll stop."

"You're good at this whole debating thing," Justin said.

Scarlett shrugged. "I think too much. Sometimes my mouth just runs off ideas and thoughts without stopping as if I expect other people to think as much as me. I'm always considering every possibility of every situation."

"Not necessarily a bad thing," Justin said. "Look at it this way: you'll be a really thorough Healer."

Scarlett smiled at him and blushed. Moments later, they reached the Shrieking Shack and tiptoed inside.

"This place is even creepier than I remember," Scarlett whispered, looking around the dilapidated building.

"You've been in here before?" Justin looked surprised.

Scarlett nodded. "When Erica and I were thirteen, on Halloween night, we snuck food from the kitchens, then came all the way out here and had our own little mini Halloween party It's obviously not haunted, and we knew that, but it's still creepy. That's what made it fun to come here. Professor Sprout caught us right when we were coming back into the castle and gave us a detention, but it was so worth it."

"Yeah?" Justin asked, laughing slightly.

"Yeah, we had fun," Scarlett said. "It's less creepy here in the daytime, though."

Justin nodded and gently kicked the door shut with his foot.

"So," Scarlett said with a slight giggle.

"So," Justin repeated, smirking as he reached out and brushed his thumb across Scarlett's cheek and backed her against the wall.

Scarlett couldn't help but feel nervous. She knew that they wouldn't be doing more than kissing, but being in the silent, eerie Shrieking Shack made it seem so much different than any other time.

"Did I ever tell you the first thing I noticed about you were your eyes?" Justin asked, his voice low.

Scarlett shook her head. "No, you never told me that."

"Yeah," he whispered. "I had never seen anything like it before."

"It's called heterochromia iridis," Scarlett whispered.

"You would know that, Miss Future Healer," Justin teased.

Scarlett let out a quiet laugh as Justin leaned in to kiss her.

Five minutes later, Scarlett heard a sound from outside, causing her to pull away from Justin.

"What's wrong?" he muttered against the side of her mouth.

"I thought I heard something," she whispered. "From outside. Maybe someone's coming." Justin's hand was resting against the wall just beside her head and she peered over his arm to look at the door.

"Nobody's out there," Justin assured her. "Mostly everyone stays away from here."

"We didn't," Scarlett argued.

Before Justin could answer, the door burst open and Fred and Angelina came into view, looking as if they were attached at the lips.

"Hey!" Justin yelled in surprise as Scarlett let out a squeak of shock and widened her eyes.

Fred and Angelina jumped apart and looked around. Their eyes finally fell on Scarlett and Justin.

"Oh, looks like this room's taken," Fred said, smirking at Scarlett.

"Yeah, it is," Justin said crossly. He was glaring at Fred and Angelina. "We were here first."

"Well how were Angelina and I supposed to know that?" Fred asked, wearing an expression of annoyance to match Justin's.

"Fred, it's okay. We can go somewhere else," Angelina whispered.

"No, stay," Scarlett said, tugging on Justin's hand. "We're leaving."

"No, why should we have to leave? We were here first."

"It doesn't matter anymore," she answered, pulling on his hand again.

Justin looked at Scarlett before looking at Fred. Finally, he dropped her hand and turned towards the door. "Leave it to him to ruin everything."

"What was that?" Fred asked loudly.

Scarlett and Angelina groaned. The last thing either of them wanted was a fight between their boyfriends.

"You're just…always _around_." Justin said, turning back towards Fred. "You've never shown an interest in Scarlett before and now-,"

"I'm showing an interest in—what?" Fred asked, looking dumbfounded.

"You're showing an interest in Scarlett?" Angelina asked at the same time.

"What? No!" Fred answered quickly. He turned towards Justin. "How could I be _interested_ in Scarlett when I'm clearly dating Angelina? As you've just witnessed, of course."

"I don't know," Justin snorted. "Maybe you just like having other girls on the side."

"Justin!" Scarlett scolded her boyfriend as Fred lunged for him. Angelina grabbed Fred's arms and Justin took a step back.

"Scarlett and I are just friends!" Fred said. He gently tore his arms from Angelina's grip but didn't make another move for Justin. "If you knew anything about me, you would know I'm not the type of guy you seem to think I am."

"Fred, it's okay," Angelina whispered.

"No, it's not! Scarlett, tell your _boyfriend_ that we're just friends."

Scarlett met Fred's eye and she knew he was silently pleading with her not to say anything about the vow. As if she would. This was _not_ a good time for that.

"Fine." With that, Justin hurried out the door.

"Hey, Scarlett," Fred said as Scarlett turned to leave as well.

"What?" she asked tensely.

"It seems as if the Finch's feathers are a bit ruffled."

Scarlett whirled around and pointed her wand at him. "One more word, Fred Weasley, and I _will_ hex you. This is not the time for jokes."

"Sorry, but I had to," Fred chuckled.

"No, you didn't _have_ to! You just said it to make me mad!"

"Relax. I'm just joking around. It's supposed to be funny."

"Well, I don't think it is! Are you begging for me to hit you?"

"No," Fred said quickly. "We all know how well that went last time."

A ghost of a smile flickered across Scarlett's face. "You deserved it. You lured me into that cave behind your house on Halloween night and then grabbed me from behind. You should have expected me to hit you."

"Yeah, but I didn't expect an eight year old to break my nose."

"She broke your nose?" Angelina asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Fred said, "which is why I don't want to be on the receiving end of another one of Scarlett's punches."

"Please, Fred, just leave Justin alone," Scarlett pleaded.

"I don't think I want to, though," Fred laughed.

"You know, sometimes the things you say—well, never mind."

"No, say it," Fred ordered, his grin fading as he crossed his arms.

"Sometimes the things you say," she said quietly, "well, they make me somewhat see why Justin can't stand you." She turned for the door again.

"Scarlett, I'm sorry," Fred whispered.

"Don't apologize to _me_," she replied.

"Well, I'm not apologizing to _him_."

"Fine, don't, but I don't really want the two of you getting into fights, and I'm sure Angelina agrees with me."

"Most definitely," Angelina nodded.

Scarlett sent her a half smile, and before Fred could add anything else, she hurried out the door after her boyfriend.

"I thought you weren't threatened or jealous," she said quietly when she had finally caught up to him.

"Maybe I am," Justin said furiously. "Maybe I'm getting paranoid now that I actually have you."

"Fred wouldn't cheat on a girl," Scarlett said. "He really isn't like that. And even if he was, you have to know that I would never cheat on you." She paused and grinned. "If I wanted to be with another guy, I would break up with you first."

Justin glared at her but then broke into the tiniest of smiles. "How kind," he said. He took a breath and slowly let it out. "I don't think I'll ever really be _completely_ fond of Fred, though."

"Why's that?" Scarlett asked quietly.

"Well, I guess it's because he and George are just the ones who all the girls drool over."

"I'm not drooling."

"Yeah, but you're still his friend." Justin shook his head. "Do you think I'm being ridiculous?"

Scarlett took a deep breath. "Maybe, but I can see where you're coming from."

"At least I can have the satisfaction of knowing he can't ever have you," Justin continued.

"Ever?" Scarlett asked, half kidding.

"No, not ever," Justin teased. "Seriously, though, I don't think I want to give you up."

Scarlett smiled and giggled nervously. The more she waited to tell Justin the truth, the worse the situation was going to get. But it would be best if Fred told Angelina as well. Maybe she could talk to Fred and convince him that telling Angelina and Justin was the best thing to do.

* * *

**A/N: I hope it's not too much of a problem that there's more Justin than Fred in this chapter. Fred will be around a little more in the next few chapters, though.**

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews and favorites so far! You're all awesome and I really appreciate the fact that people take the time to do that. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

_"The past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it."_

**-Rafiki (The Lion King)**

* * *

"No," Fred hissed the next day in Herbology. Scarlett had just tried to ask him if he would tell Angelina the truth. Angelina wasn't taking Herbology and Justin wasn't in their class, so it was really the only time Scarlett and Fred could talk about the subject. Their group members were George and Erica, who both knew about the situation, so Fred and Scarlett could talk freely.

"Why not?" Scarlett huffed.

"I'm not telling her. I just started dating her a few weeks ago. Can't I even enjoy it before I ruin it?"

"It might not be ruined," Scarlett said halfheartedly.

"Oh, yeah, Ange will be skipping merrily around the castle when she finds out I have to _marry_ another girl," Fred snorted. "And Justin, too, right? That's why you've talked to him already, isn't it? Oh, wait, you haven't, so don't tell me what to do about Angelina, okay?" The words came out harsher than he intended and he sighed. "Look, Scarlett-,"

"If you're still mad at me for the other day,-"

"What are you talking about?"

"What I said to you about understanding why Justin doesn't exactly like you wasn't very nice."

"Are you kidding? I should be the one apologizing to you! I'm not mad about what you said because it was true. I acted like a jerk and I'm sorry."

"Well, like I said, it's not me you should be apologizing to."

Fred snorted. "But the thing is that I don't care if Justin doesn't like me. You, on the other hand…well, you matter."

"Do I?" Scarlett asked vaguely.

"Of course. You're my friend and despite our current love lives, we do have to get married and I don't want to marry a girl whose whole image of me is that of a heartless jerk."

Scarlett looked up at him. "I know you're not a heartless jerk."

"But you're worried that I can be."

Scarlett didn't answer right away. "No, actually, I'm not. You're not capable of being a real jerk."

"No?" Fred asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow

"No," Scarlett answered. "I think I know you pretty well. Or at least I used to. And you really haven't changed that much, so…." She shrugged. "Sometimes I think you say things without thinking, but you're no heartless jerk, Fred Weasley. In fact," she smirked, "I'd say you actually have a sensitive side."

"Do I?" he asked amusedly, raising an eyebrow again.

Scarlett nodded and smirked down at their work.

"Are you going to elaborate?" Fred finally asked.

Scarlett looked up at him. Finally, she tilted her head and smiled. "The summer just after we turned seven. Mean anything to you?"

Fred looked up at the greenhouse roof, straight through to the sky as he scrunched his face up in thought. Finally, he looked back at Scarlett, his eyes wide. "Toby."

George burst out laughing as Scarlett smiled and nodded.

"Who's Toby?" Erica asked.

"He was a turtle that Fred, George and I rescued from the pond in their backyard," Scarlett explained. "We took turns taking care of him. Fred and George would get him one week and I would get him the next. We loved that turtle. None of us had ever had our own personal pet before and Toby was the closest we could get. One week, when Fred and George had him, he got loose and crawled into their pile of dirty laundry. When Mrs. Weasley went to take care of it, she saw his head poking out and thought it was a snake or something." Scarlett shrugged. "She didn't realize it was Toby. Anyway, she freaked, instinctively fired a few spells, and that was the end of Toby the turtle. I'd never seen Fred cry so much. Actually, I'd never seen him cry before at all." Scarlett glanced at a now blushing Fred and smiled. "I didn't know what to make of it. We never cried around each other."

"Yeah, I still haven't seen you cry," Fred said, nudging her.

"Maybe I'm just not as wimpy as you are," she teased.

"Or maybe you're just insensitive," Fred teased back.

Scarlett smiled and shook her head as she looked down at her hands. "I don't like to let people see me cry."

"Why not?"

She shrugged. "I've always been that way. I guess I don't like to let people see me struggling. Even when my dad died…my mother wasn't doing too well with holding it together, so I thought maybe I should. I mean, at least in front of her and all the relatives. Even at the funeral, I tried so hard to keep it together and I did it. I don't know how….When I got home, though, I locked myself in my room and cried for what felt like hours…." She stopped and looked up, feeling as if she had said too much. Fred, George, and Erica were staring at her and Scarlett knew why. She never talked about her dad's death. Not in depth at least. Even with her mother, any talk about her dad involved looking through old photos or talking about memories. They never talked about the time after his death and what it was like for them.

"You don't talk about his death often, do you?" Fred whispered.

"No," Scarlett answered.

"Look at it this way," Erica chimed in. "I'm her best friend and that was the first time I ever heard all of that." She gave Scarlett a sad look. "How come you don't talk about it? There are a lot of people who would have gladly listened."

"I never wanted to and it was hard for me to open up about it. I kind of wanted to show people I was okay. Besides, I was almost scared. But I'm realizing that talking about it can help and it's not so bad after all." She looked up at Fred. "That night over the summer when we were on the roof….That was the first time I ever really talked about it to anyone."

"Are you serious?" Fred whispered, staring at her intently.

She nodded. "And it felt pretty good. It helped. I never really got to thank you for that."

"I didn't even know I was helping you," Fred said, shaking his head and blinking. Finally, he smiled warmly at her. "But you are very welcome."

Scarlett smiled back and took a deep breath, feeling desperate to get back to the topic they had originally been discussing. "Anyway, the longer we wait to tell Angelina and Justin about the vow, the angrier they'll be when we actually do manage to tell them. At least I'm pretty sure Justin will be angry."

"So tell him," Fred said. He looked at his twin. "Honestly, George, this one's incredibly indecisive."

"So are _all_ girls," George muttered. Erica and Scarlett each tossed a handful of soil at him.

"I can deal with Angelina and how she'll react," Fred said. "It's not really for you to worry about, is it?" He dusted some soil off the edge of the pot.

"No, I suppose not," Scarlett sighed. She looked up. "I'm afraid to tell Justin, though."

"Not my fault," Fred laughed.

"Stop laughing! This is serious!" Scarlett paused. "He already isn't very fond of you."

"Really? I had no idea," Fred snorted.

"Sounds like he's jealous from what I've heard," George said.

"I can't see what there is to be jealous of," Erica teased. George rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, why _do _you keep pressuring me to tell Angelina?" Fred asked curiously.

"If you can tell Angelina, maybe it'll be easier for me to tell Justin. Plus, it's the right thing to do. And besides all of that, it wouldn't be fair if one of them knew but not the other. They both have the right to know."

"You can tell Justin whenever you want. You don't need me to tell Angelina first."

"I thought you were worried about Angelina finding out through other people before you could tell her. You didn't want me to tell Justin so that she wouldn't find out."

"I thought _you_ said Justin wouldn't tell a soul," Fred answered. "I believe you, so if you want to tell him then tell him."

"He _won't_ tell anyone but-,"

"Okay, okay, enough," Erica interrupted, holding up her hands. "I think you both need to tell the people you are currently dating that you are unwillingly engaged to someone else. It happened a long time ago and there's nothing you can do about it. End of story."

"It's not that simple," Scarlett said.

"Yeah, easier said than done," Fred muttered.

"George," Erica said in an official tone, "what's your opinion on the matter?"

"Fred and Scarlett should do what they want," George said, looking as if he wanted to stay out of the whole ordeal as much as possible.

"Oh, you're no help," Erica sighed. She turned back to Scarlett and Fred. "Telling Angelina and Justin is the right thing to do."

"I want to enjoy having a girlfriend first," Fred argued. "One that I actually _chose_ at least."

"Hey, what's wrong with Scarlett?" Erica asked, her hands on her hips.

"Nothing," Fred said quickly. "I didn't say there was anything wrong with her. I just-,"

"It seems to me that you _did_ choose her, Fred," Erica interrupted.

"You know what I meant," Fred argued.

"Maybe you _could_ actually like her if you gave her a chance. Isn't that why you were told about the vow when you were? So that you would have a _chance_ to fall in love? And here you both are wasting your time with other people."

Scarlett shared a look with Fred and George. They looked ready to burst into laughter. "Don't laugh," she warned them, but even she couldn't stop the grin spreading over her own face.

"I'm serious," Erica said, unfazed by how lightly her words had been taken. She ran her hand through the soil in the pot in front of them.

"So are we," Fred said, gesturing to himself and Scarlett. "I'm sure it'll all work out in the end."

"I keep making it worse. I have to keep reassuring Justin that you and I are just friends," Scarlett said quietly. "And that's the truth and a lie at the same time. Has Angelina acted suspicious of anything at all?"

Fred shrugged. "No, not really. She asked a few questions after the Shrieking Shack incident, but I just told her that you and I are friends and that Justin is simply jealous and paranoid which is why he thinks I'm 'showing an interest' in you."

"And she dropped it? Just like that?" Scarlett asked, surprised.

Fred shrugged again. "Yeah, has Justin?"

"Sort of," Scarlett sighed. "I managed to calm him down and he hasn't brought it up again, but I don't know how long we can keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Keeping it a secret, Fred. They're going to find out eventually. That's what you were worried about, right? Or was it only Justin you were worried about and didn't want to trust?"

Fred sighed. "Scarlett, if no one but the four of us know, Angelina and Justin can't find out. If we start telling people, it'll go all around the school, which is really what I'm not ready for yet."

"We really just need to tell Angelina and Justin. Nobody else needs to know and I'm sure they won't go around telling people," Scarlett said.

"Scar, I just don't want the whole school to find out. You know how it is. Everything that's supposed to stay secret goes around the whole school faster than a Firebolt can fly. As it is, _I'm_ barely able to process what's going on and I can't deal with everyone else knowing as well."

"Fine," Scarlett answered. She looked down at the soil filled pot and Fred's hands resting on the edge. "Fred, what happened?"

"What are you talking about?" Fred hastily removed his hands from the edge of the pot and tried to hide them behind his back.

"I'm talking about your hand." She reached over and grabbed Fred's left hand, examining the back of it. "It's full of...scratches or something."

"It was from Herbology the other day," Fred said, glancing at George. "Remember? That plant attacked me." He tried to snatch his hand away but Scarlett held on.

"You didn't get attacked by a plant," Erica said accusingly.

"And these scratches look like _words_," Scarlett added. She brought Fred's hand closer to her face and squinted. "'I must not break rules.' Fred, what is this?"

"Tell her," George said. "It really won't do any good to lie now that she's seen it."

Fred sighed and finally managed to slide his hand out of Scarlett's grasp. "It was from a detention with Umbridge."

"A detention?" Scarlett asked as Erica's eyes widened. "What did she do? Carve words into your hand?"

"Sort of," Fred answered. "_She_ didn't exactly do anything. I had to do it myself. I had to write lines with a special quill she gave me. I had to write 'I must not break rules' over and over again for hours."

"Into your own hand," Scarlett prompted in disbelief.

"No, on a piece of parchment. The quill writes with the user's blood. Haven't you seen Harry's hand?"

"No, I hardly ever see Harry in the first place," Scarlett said.

"Don't look so angry, Scar," Fred said with a smile. "It's not a big deal."

"How can you say that? It _is_ a big deal! This is completely wrong!" she answered furiously. "She can't harm students as a way to punish them."

"They've done it before," George said. "Ages ago. Filch talks about it all the time. They used to hang students in the dungeons and stuff like that."

"Plus," Fred added, "Umbridge isn't making it seem like_ she's_ the one hurting us. We're the ones writing and causing the cuts."

"But she made you do it," Scarlett answered. "If you refused, she probably would have just given you more detentions."

"What did you do to get a detention anyway?" Erica asked. "And why doesn't George have a mark on his hand?"

Scarlett raised her eyebrows. "You broke rules on your own? I thought you two always worked together."

"We do always work together when we're breaking rules," Fred smirked and looked at George, but then his smirk faded and he looked down, "but I didn't know what I did to get this detention was breaking the rules."

"What did you do?" Scarlett asked gently.

Fred looked up at her. "I got detention for flying you out of that classroom you were locked in. I met Umbridge on my way back to the common room and somehow she knew I rescued you. She probably heard from Filch that you weren't in there anymore. You said Mrs. Norris was in there with you, so Filch probably knew from her. I swear, he can communicate with that cat."

"I don't understand. Why would Umbridge care?" Scarlett asked.

"It turns out," Fred said, "that she locked you in there, not Peeves."

Scarlett was silent for a minute. She looked Erica, who looked as shocked as Scarlett felt. "What?" she finally managed to ask. "Why would she do that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Fred shrugged. "All I know is that I saw Peeves as I was leaving my detention and I asked him about it. He saw the whole thing. It was Umbridge the whole time."

"Why didn't you say something to me right away?" Scarlett asked.

Fred shrugged one shoulder. "I probably should have, but I didn't know how. Besides, I didn't see much of you after that day. Except for the time in the Shrieking Shack of course, but that didn't seem like a good time to tell you." He smirked at her.

"No, it wasn't, and besides, you looked a little busy yourself," Scarlett retaliated.

A blush actually started to creep up Fred's face, but he covered it quickly with a smile. "Yeah, I might've been just a little busy."

Scarlett shook her head and sighed. "Maybe you shouldn't have even come to get me out of that classroom. I'm sure I would've been let out eventually. Umbridge couldn't keep me locked in there forever."

"Scar, neither one of us knew that me getting you out would get me in trouble and I would have done it even if I had known."

"But look at your hand!"

"It'll heal," Fred told her seriously. "I wasn't going to stand around _knowing_ you were up there and not do anything about it."

"What did Angelina say about it?"

"She thinks it was completely unfair of Umbridge. She thought I did the right thing by going to get you. Umbridge is evil. Angelina isn't going to hate you or suspect anything because we're helping each other."

"You know," Erica chimed in, "what if Peeves is lying? It doesn't make sense that Umbridge would lock a student in a classroom."

"She makes us write in our own blood," Fred said, holding up his hand.

"Besides," George added, "Peeves doesn't lie to me and Fred. He hardly gives us any trouble at all, actually."

"Why's that?" Erica asked.

Fred and George smirked at each other before Fred finally answered Erica's question. "We figure it's because we're the only ones who cause as much mayhem as he does."

"If not more," Scarlett added.

Fred gently whacked her on the head with his rolled up Herbology notes. "Anyway, I guess Peeves considers us worth being nice to because he thinks we're on the same level."

"Are you?" Scarlett asked. "On the same level, I mean."

"Sort of," Fred answered. "I don't think George and I are as obnoxious as Peeves, though."

"I beg to differ," Scarlett said with a snort. Fred tried to whack her with his notes again, but she quickly grabbed his wrist.

"Nice reflexes, Callaway," Fred said, looking impressed. Scarlett smiled, before releasing his wrist.

"Fred, stop flirting with my best friend," Erica teased, smirking at them.

"What? I'm not flirting with her," Fred protested with a laugh.

"Shut it, Erica," Scarlett added. "Haven't you been listening to anything we've discussed? Fred and I like other people. Just because we have to get married does not mean that-,"

"But wouldn't liking each other make things so much easier?" Erica asked. "You wouldn't have to lie to anyone anymore or feel awkward after you get married."

"There's nothing there, Erica. We can't force ourselves to love each other."

"Okay, okay, fine," Erica huffed. "I _was_ just joking about the flirting, you know." She glanced at Scarlett and smirked. "Partly."

Scarlett groaned. "Please don't make things any more complicated than they already are."

"Why, are you afraid of a few of life's complications?" Fred teased.

"No," Scarlett replied defiantly.

"Well, in that case, why don't I just _flirt_ with you a little more?" Fred threw a smirk Erica's way before attacking Scarlett with his Herbology notes again. Scarlett kept trying to grab his wrist, but he changed direction too quickly each time.

"What happened to those reflexes, Scarlett?" Fred teased.

"_I'd_ like to know what happened to doing your work."

Fred and Scarlett froze and turned around. Professor Sprout was right behind them, eyebrows raised and arms crossed.

"Sorry, Professor," Scarlett mumbled. "We'll get back to work right now."

"Yes, I think that would best," Professor Sprout said, turning to walk away.

Fred and Scarlett looked at each other before Fred smirked and gave Scarlett one last whack with his notes. Scarlett brushed his hand away and rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

* * *

**A/N: I hope everyone likes the chapter! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**


	13. Chapter 13

"_The only way to learn it is to do it."_

**-Archimedes (The Sword in the Stone)**

* * *

A little less than a week later, Fred and George caught up to Scarlett and Erica in the hallway.

"Hey, you two hate Umbridge, don't you?" Fred asked, keeping his voice low.

"No, she's only taking over the school, locking me in classrooms and making students write in their own blood," Scarlett snorted. She glanced at Erica's hand. Her best friend had gotten a detention a few days ago for leaving her wand on her desk as she read the textbook. She hadn't even been touching it, but apparently Umbridge seriously meant it when she said 'no wands.' That was part of the reason Erica had left it on her desk. She was sick of being told to put it away.

"Okay, we get it," George laughed. He looked at Erica. "By the way, essence of murtlap will make that feel a lot better." He nodded towards her hand.

"How do you-?"

"How do I know? Hermione's been giving us some after detentions. Harry, too, of course. You can ask her to give you some as well."

"How many detentions have you two had?" Scarlett asked.

"Fred's had two, I've had one," George said. "We had detention together the other night. Let's just say we got a little bored of our daily Defense Against the Dark Arts routine." He and Fred shared a look and smirked.

"What did you do?" Scarlett asked.

"We decided to read from the book while sitting on the floor."

"Why?"

"We're sick of doing the same thing every single day in her class," Fred shrugged. "It's boring. So we decided a change was necessary to make things a bit more interesting."

"So you've decided to actually read the book now?"

The twins smirked again. "No, we haven't read from the book once," George grinned.

"But you just said-,"

"Have you ever heard of _faking it_?" Fred teased, smiling and raising his eyebrows.

Scarlett shot him a look. "Of course I have," she said. After a brief pause, she spoke again. "You know, I'm actually surprised you both haven't earned more detentions than you have. I'd expect you to get in trouble for all the pranks you pull. Or have you not pulled any yet?"

"Part of being a good prankster is not getting caught," Fred said proudly. "We've pulled loads of pranks so far, but we've never gotten caught. Umbridge suspects us every time, but she can never prove it."

"Yeah, but you haven't done anything to get back at Umbridge yet, have you? Besides sitting on the floor during class, I mean. I half expected you to have turned her into a real toad by now."

"As far as pranks go, no we haven't done anything to annoy her," Fred grinned.

"But that's actually what we wanted to talk to you about," George continued. "We're not learning anything with Umbridge, don't you agree?"

"Completely," Scarlett said at once as Erica nodded. "But what can be done about it?"

"Well," Fred began, "Hermione came up with the idea that Harry should teach us all the stuff we should be learning, but aren't. Hermione wants us to spread the word."

"Harry's going to teach us?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah, it took some convincing, but Hermione and Ron finally got him to agree. Anyone who wants to come is supposed to meet at the Hog's Head at one o' clock in two weeks, during the next Hogsmeade trip. So what do you say? Are you in?"

Scarlett looked at Erica and she knew they were thinking the same thing. "Yeah, we're in."

"Great," the twins answered in unison.

"You know," Scarlett sighed, "I'm still stumped about why Umbridge would want to lock me in a classroom, though. I just don't understand. What does she have against me?"

"Yeah, that's very odd," Fred agreed. "Something's not right about that. Honestly, this woman's ideas of punishment are mental."

"At least she didn't make you write with your own blood, Scarlett," Erica said, somewhat dismally.

"No, I'd almost rather have been forced to write with my own blood," Scarlett answered.

"Are you crazy?" Erica asked as Fred and George gave Scarlett weird looks.

"Should we get the Ministry to do a background check on you?" Fred asked. "I mean, I just don't think I can marry a girl who loves blood so much."

"Shut up," Scarlett scoffed. "I never said I _loved _blood. I just meant that if I had to write lines with that quill, it would have been a typical detention from Umbridge. I don't see her locking anyone else in classrooms, so why did she single me out?"

Fred, George and Erica were quiet for a moment. "That's a good question," Erica finally said.

"Maybe she's not singling you out," George suggested. "Maybe locking people in classrooms is a new sort of punishment and so far you're the only one she's used it on."

"Brilliant," Scarlett said with a snort.

"So are you bringing Finchy to this meeting?" Fred asked.

"_Finchy_? If you're going to call him names, stick with just Finch, please."

"Why?"

"You're going to make me vomit if you say _Finchy_ again."

"So are you bringing him or not?" Fred laughed.

"Probably, why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," Fred smirked.

"You'd better be nice to him," Scarlett said in a warning tone.

"I'm always nice to him," Fred retaliated defensively. There was a pause. "To his face at least."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Sure you are. Seriously, though, I mean it. Don't say a word to him at all if all you_ can _say are things that aren't nice."

"Fine," Fred answered. "I'm not all that fluent in bird language anyway."

Scarlett hit him in the arm as hard as she could with her book.

"Ow!" Fred yelped, flinching slightly as the book made contact with his arm.

"Hmm, bad reflexes," Scarlett said, frowning slightly. "Better work on that, Weasley." With that, she shrugged and walked away with Erica right behind her.

* * *

"Uh, hi," Hermione said nervously.

Scarlett almost smiled. Of course Hermione was nervous. Besides having to talk in front of everyone gathered in front of her with hardly any idea of what to say, she was also breaking a bunch of school rules.

"Well, you all know why we're here," Hermione continued. "We need a teacher. A proper teacher. With Umbridge, we're not learning magic and we're not learning how to defend ourselves."

"You can say that again," Fred muttered.

"How are we supposed to know that You-Know-Who's really back?" asked Zacharias Smith, a boy in Scarlett's house that she didn't really like all that much.

"Dumbledore says-,"

"Dumbledore says because he says." Zacharias pointed to Harry.

"Harry could tell us more about how Cedric Diggory got killed," Michael Corner said.

"I'm not here to talk about Cedric," Harry finally chimed in, "so if that's why you're here, you can all clear out now." He turned to Hermione. "Let's go, they clearly all think I'm some kind of freak."

"Is it true you can produce a Patronus Charm?" Luna Lovegood asked suddenly.

"Yes," Hermione said after a pause. "I've seen it."

"And he killed the basilisk with the sword in Dumbledore's office!" Neville added.

"Third year he fought off about a hundred dementors," Ron said.

"And last year he really did fight You-Know-Who," Hermione finished.

"Well, it all sounds great when you say it like that," Harry muttered, "but really, a lot of the time it was just luck and I nearly always had help-,"

"So you really can't do any of that stuff?" Zacharias Smith asked.

"Of course he can," Hermione said defensively.

"Well it just sounds like we've all turned up to learn from him and now he's telling us that he didn't really do any of it."

"That's not what he said," Ron snapped angrily.

"Yeah, do you need us to clean out your ears for you?" George asked, pulling a thin, metal object from the Zonko's bag he was holding.

"Or any part of your body, really. We're not fussy where we stick this," Fred added with a shrug.

"_What_ is it, exactly?" Justin asked from next to Scarlett. She squeezed his hand under the table and gave her head a small shake, but Justin simply shrugged.

"Care to find out?" Fred asked with a smirk. "We'll gladly give you a turn after Zacharias."

Justin angrily opened his mouth as if to tell Fred where _he_ thought the metal object should go, but Scarlett interrupted before he could speak. "Don't say a word," she said. "And Fred, quit threatening Justin and let Harry finish with what he has to say."

"I was done anyway," Harry said with a shrug. "I mean, all the spells I've used, well, I know how to do them, but what I really meant earlier is that being out there fighting is not like school. In school if you make a mistake you can just try again tomorrow, but when you're out there watching your friends die before your eyes.…"

"He's really back?" a boy from Gryffindor asked quietly.

Harry nodded and after a short pause, Hermione continued talking again.

"Which is why we need Harry as our teacher. If we ever want to defeat…Voldemort, we'll have to learn how to defend ourselves. I have a sign-up sheet ready…." She trailed off as she reached into her bag and pulled out a sign-up sheet, placing it on the table in front of her. Her name was already signed along with Harry and Ron's.

"Is that all? The meeting's done?" Zacharias asked.

"Yes, that's all," Hermione said. "Today's meeting was only to explain what we're doing and see who's seriously considering joining. So, if you're prepared to do this and come to meetings, and most importantly, keep it a secret, then sign up." Hermione leaned forward and slid the paper further down the table.

Nobody moved for a moment, but then Fred grabbed the paper, pulled out a quill, signed his name, and passed the sign-up sheet to George. "Easy," Fred said with a grin.

Scarlett was the last person to get the sign-up sheet after it made its way around the table. She signed her name right under Justin and Erica's signatures before sliding the paper to Ron, who passed it to Hermione.

"Okay, well, thanks everyone. We'll pass the word around when we come up with a meeting place and time."

Once she was outside, Scarlett glanced at Justin and Erica. "I think this sounds exciting, don't you?"

"Very exciting," Erica answered, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"If we're actually going to learn something then I think this is a great idea," Justin added. "I'm not learning a thing from that 'ministry approved' textbook."

"Have you actually read it?" Scarlett asked with a laugh.

"Skimmed it," Justin admitted, laughing as well.

"Don't worry, me too," Scarlett said. "I stare at the page but learn nothing."

"I can't believe Fred, though. I mean, how much more of a jerk can a person get?"

"I think Zacharias is the ultimate jerk," Scarlett said.

"That's true, but Zacharias is Zacharias. He's always been a jerk. Everyone knows it by now and I can at least ignore him, but Fred just knows how to push my buttons."

"Don't let him," Scarlett said with a shrug.

"Easier said than done," Justin answered.

"I've told him to leave you alone, but since he clearly isn't, just try your best to ignore him and forget about it," Scarlett said.

"Maybe I should," Justin said guiltily. "I can at least try. You probably don't particularly like me complaining about him all the time."

"No, not really," Scarlett said honestly. "I know you don't like him all that much, but I can't really do anything about that. I'm friends with him," she shrugged. She wanted to reassure him that it was all she and Fred would ever be, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. She didn't really want to tell Justin any more lies.

Justin didn't say anything right away. He looked down at his and Scarlett's intertwined hands, rubbing his thumb back and forth over the back of her hand. "Can I tell you something?" he finally asked in a low voice.

"Sure, anything," Scarlett responded at once.

"Do you need me to leave?" Erica asked hesitantly.

Justin looked at her as if he had just remembered she was there. "No," he said, shrugging, "you can stay."

"What do you have to tell me?" Scarlett asked curiously.

"Well," Justin began, "I might still be a little angry at Fred.…"

"Angry at him for what?" Scarlett asked, glancing at Erica nervously. Had Justin found out about the vow? No, he couldn't have, she decided. If he had, he would have confronted her immediately and she didn't think he'd be this calm about it. Not at first, anyway.

"Last year," Justin said, "I sort of liked this girl and Fred stole her right out from under my nose."

"Last year?" Scarlett asked. "I didn't know Fred dated anyone last year. I thought he mentioned that Angelina would be his first actual girlfriend. I could be wrong, though."

Justin cleared his throat uncomfortably. "He didn't date anyone last year, but I was going to ask a girl to the Yule Ball and he asked her before I could."

"Hold on," Scarlett said, "Fred took _Angelina_ to the Yule Ball."

"Yeah," Justin said, smiling a little guiltily at as if he thought she'd be upset.

"You liked Angelina last year? I didn't know that," she said. She didn't feel angry—Justin liking Angelina was in the past after all—but she did feel surprised.

"I did," Justin admitted. "Did I ever tell you that Angelina and I were friends before Hogwarts?"

Scarlett's mouth dropped open. "You were?"

Justin nodded. "We were neighbors since I was seven years old and she was nine. Well, we weren't exactly neighbors, but she lived two streets over. She was friends with another girl in our neighborhood and one day, on her way home, she saw me do magic. It was the first day I ever even _did_ magic. I was scared at first, but she told me what was going on. I didn't believe her at first, but she showed me that she could do magic too."

"What happened, then?" Scarlett asked. "You aren't exactly friends with her anymore."

"Well, no. We still live near each other, but we don't talk all that much anymore. Not really at all, actually. We kind of grew apart since we were put in different houses at school and there's a bit of an age difference."

"Two years isn't that bad," Scarlett said. "I'm two years older than you, too."

"I know, but Angelina and I had different classes as a result. I know you and I do as well, but we're in the same house. I get to see you during all my free time. Anyway, I thought asking Angelina to the ball would help to rekindle our friendship and I did think she was really pretty and nice and fun….I liked her. But she was really close with the twins and then Fred took her to the ball. Besides the fact that I had realized I liked her and he got to take her to the ball, it also felt like he had stolen my best friend. Angelina started school two years before me and would write me letters telling me all about Fred and George and how funny and cool they were." He sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes I just miss being her friend."

Scarlett stared at the ground. Her head was practically spinning. She couldn't get over the fact that Justin's friendship with Angelina was strangely similar to the one she had once had with Fred, right down to them growing apart. Granted, it had happened for different reasons and the story itself was slightly different, but it was still strange.

"I know I ended up asking you to the Yule Ball, but I don't want you to think I had a lousy time. I had a great time and you were a great date." Justin smiled at her. He clearly thought she was upset about that which was truthfully the last thing on her mind.

"Thanks," she said. "And back then I hadn't even started liking you yet, so you're off the hook." She smiled weakly.

"You aren't mad now?"

"No, why would I be? It would be silly of me to be mad now. I'm just trying to process it all."

"Maybe it's just me who has difficulty getting over incidents of the past," Justin muttered.

Scarlett giggled. "So let me get this straight," she said slowly. "You were mad that Fred asked Angelina to the Yule Ball and stole your prospective date…." Justin nodded. "Understandable," she continued. "And you felt that you had her first as a friend, and he stole her away from you…." Justin nodded again. "And now are you upset that he's dating her?" Scarlett finished.

Justin shrugged. "Not _really_. I've been over her for so long that it doesn't really make a difference anymore. Sometimes I'm reminded of the Yule Ball incident, though. You know, seeing them together and everything, but like I said, I was more upset about the lost friendship. That was stronger than the crush I had on her, although realizing she didn't like me back wasn't fun either."

"You know, sometimes people grow apart. It doesn't necessarily have to be somebody's fault."

"I know, but it just always seemed that I could pinpoint it to Fred. It was _easy_ to pinpoint it to Fred."

"Does Fred know that you wanted to ask Angelina to the ball? Does he know you liked her?"

"No, but what difference does it make? What's he going to do, say 'Oh, I'm sorry, here, I'll break up with Angelina and you can have her'? Nobody in their right mind would do that and plus, it's too late. I have you now and I'm happy." He smiled at Scarlett and it was a genuine smile that let her know he was telling the truth.

"So you don't want to lose me to Fred because it already happened once before," she guessed. "With another girl, though."

"Yeah, pretty much," Justin said, letting out a puff of air. "Stupid, I know."

"No, it's—I can understand what you're going through. Well, I've never been through something like that personally, but I get it."

Justin let out a small laugh. "Thanks for understanding."

"I can be friends with him and still be friends with you and be your girlfriend, though," Scarlett said slowly. "It's not one or the other."

"I know. It's just that Fred can get any and every girl he wants and I'm afraid that one day he'll decide he wants you and somehow he'll end up getting you."

Scarlett swallowed and chewed on her lip. She couldn't reassure Justin because the truth was that his fear had come true before it had even developed.

"Can you not say anything to Fred about this?" Justin asked quietly.

"Why would I?" she whispered. "That would just cause more drama that we don't need."

"True," Justin laughed.

Scarlett glanced at Erica to see her reaction to the whole thing. Her best friend caught her eye over Justin's shoulder and mouthed 'you are in so over your head'. Scarlett made a face before looking away. Erica was right. Scarlett was in over her head, and she was in way more than she would have liked.


	14. Chapter 14

"_A lie keeps growing and growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face."_

**-The Blue Fairy (Pinocchio)**

* * *

That night, Scarlett found herself unable to sleep, tossing and turning for what seemed like hours. Her thoughts kept circling around what Justin had told her earlier. The truth about why he really didn't like Fred was going to make it that much harder to tell him about the vow because it was going to hurt him that much more.

Sighing with frustration, Scarlett threw back her covers and tiptoed out of her dorm, pausing only to grab a jacket. She headed for the Astronomy tower without any particular reason behind her decision. She just needed to be somewhere else for a while. The entire way there, Scarlett felt as if she should have been holding her breath. She didn't know how safe it was being out after hours, especially after what had happened last time.

She reached the Astronomy tower and gently closed the door behind her, breathing a sigh of relief. Even though she technically wasn't safe until she was back in her dorm, Scarlett couldn't help but feel relieved that she had made it to the Astronomy tower without getting caught.

Relaxing slightly, she sat on the ground, looking up at the seemingly limitless, starry sky. Maybe it was odd and crazy, or maybe it wasn't, but ever since the night on the rooftop of Grimmauld Place, and then the broom ride, Scarlett couldn't help but think of Fred every time she saw stars. It was completely in a friendly way, though. Friends were more than allowed to think of each other when they saw something that reminded them of the other person.

Scarlett was almost expecting Fred to find her now and ask her to tell him a story. It was all so similar to Grimmauld Place. The only thing missing was Fred.

When the door opened five minutes later, Scarlett almost thought it really _was_ him, but when she turned around, her heart sank into her knees. It was Umbridge, tapping her wand against her palm and smirking.

"I thought someone was out after hours," she said with one of her girly giggles. "Detention, I think, Miss Callaway, my office, tomorrow night at eight sharp."

Scarlett jumped up. "I wasn't doing anything wrong," she argued. "I just came up here because I couldn't sleep."

"You were out after hours," Umbridge said. "You broke the rules. That's what you did wrong. Now, unless you want another night of detention, you'll stop arguing with me and head back to your dormitory at once."

Sighing, Scarlett slipped past Umbridge without another word and headed back to the Hufflepuff common room. She had had detentions before, of course, but she had always been ordered to spend some time with Professor Sprout watering and pruning greenhouse plants or writing normal lines with a normal quill. Those detentions were bearable and Professor Sprout was a pleasant person to be around. Now, Scarlett would be spending her detention writing lines with an evil quill owned by an evil woman in a pink sweater.

* * *

"Merlin's beard, Scar," Fred whispered. It was four days later, and Scarlett was working with Erica, Fred and George in Herbology as usual.

"What?" she asked. She tried to sound casual, even though she knew full well what Fred was talking about.

"Your hand looks _awful_."

"Doesn't it?" Erica asked, rolling her eyes. "She got a detention for being out after hours. Considering what the punishment is these days, I don't think sneaking out is worth it anymore."

"Of course it is," George argued. "You just have to know how to not get caught."

"Scarlett doesn't know all the tricks to that yet," Fred smirked. He looked at Scarlett. "Where did you sneak out to?"

"The Astronomy tower," she answered. "I couldn't sleep."

Fred shook his head and wiggled a finger at her. "Scarlett Callaway, I'm disappointed. Reading one of your Muggle fairy tales could have fixed that problem just as easily _and_ saved you a detention."

"Are you saying the stories are boring and put people to sleep?" she teased.

"No, not at all," Fred answered, shaking his head.

"That's what you implied."

"But it's not what I meant. Anyway, when was your detention?"

"Three days ago," Scarlett replied.

"_Three_?" Fred asked, his jaw dropping.

"Yeah, why?" Scarlett asked slowly.

"Scarlett, my hand looked nowhere near as bad the _day_ after. I thought your detention was just last night. It looks really bad. This is closer to what Harry's looked like after two nights of using the quill in a row, but even still, Harry's looked slightly better. How long did Umbridge keep you for?"

"Well I got there at eight and stayed until four in the morning, so eight hours."

"_Eight_ hours?" Fred asked, his eyes widening.

"I thought that was how long she kept everyone."

"No," Fred answered. "She kept me for only four hours. Harry, too."

"Same for me," George said.

"Same here," Erica added. "Honestly, I don't understand why you forgot to mention that little detail to me."

"I thought it was normal," Scarlett said with a shrug. "How was I supposed to know that she only kept people for four hours?"

"Eight hours didn't seem unreasonable to you?" Fred asked.

"Of course it did, but even four hours is unreasonable when you're writing lines with your own blood."

"True," Fred shrugged.

"I don't understand," Scarlett whispered. "Why is Umbridge treating me like this?"

"I don't know," Fred answered seriously. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Hey, can you meet me in the entrance hall tonight an hour after dinner ends?"

"Why?" Scarlett asked hesitantly.

"I can just give you a bowl of murtlap for your hand. Trust me, it helps loads and from the looks of your hand, you're going to need some."

"Oh, I'm sure I can get some on my own," Scarlett shrugged.

Fred raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Hermione's the only person I know who has the supplies. The ingredients aren't on anyone's Potions lists, but Hermione always buys a bunch of extra things in case she needs them. As it turns out, her crazy idea paid off this time."

"I can get some from her by myself, then," Scarlett argued.

"Don't be so difficult," Fred sighed. "It'll be easier for me to get some for you. Just say yes, Scar."

Scarlett was quiet for a moment as she dusted some soil off of her notes. "Fine," she eventually responded.

"So, tonight?" Fred asked. "An hour after dinner? Do you think you can get away from the Finch long enough?"

"Yes, I can," Scarlett answered, slightly irritated. "It'll only be for a few minutes. I won't even tell Justin I'm getting the murtlap from you. I'll tell him I'm getting it directly from Hermione. Only if he asks, though. I don't need him getting paranoid again. Although, it might be best if I can convince Hermione to back me up in case he decides to ask her about it. I really don't think he would, but you never know…."

"Now who's the paranoid one?" Fred muttered. Scarlett glared at him, but he smirked and continued. "And look at this! You're planning on lying to your boyfriend."

"I'm not lying! I'm just not telling the whole truth. It's for Justin's own good, really. And mine considering I don't want him angry with me."

Fred shrugged. "I hate to break it to you but lying and not telling the whole truth is the same thing."

"No, if I was _lying_, then I wouldn't be telling any of the truth. I am telling him that I'm getting murtlap for my hand, which is true, but I'm not telling him who I'm getting it from."

"Unless he asks," Fred argued, "and then you will proceed to give him false information. In other words, you're going to lie."

"Yes, but if he doesn't ask, I won't have to lie."

"But just say he does ask…." Fred smirked.

"Since when have you been so against lying?"

"I didn't say I was against it. I just find your situation amusing."

"And anyway," Scarlett continued. "This isn't the first time. I've been lying to him about you this whole time and keeping the vow thing a secret. You've been doing the same with Angelina, so I guess it's only fair that I tease you about that."

Fred chuckled. "Okay, okay, you win."

"Good," Scarlett answered, satisfied.

"Good," Fred replied, sticking out his tongue.

"Mature," Scarlett sniffed. Fred gave her a cheesy smile.

"Flirting," Erica whispered to George, who let out a breath of laughter. Scarlett rolled her eyes at Fred and, together, they pretended not to hear them.

* * *

"I'm just going to get murtlap for my hand," Scarlett assured Justin that night. "I heard it works wonders and my hand's looking pretty terrible." She stuck her cut hand in front of his face.

"Yeah, because that toad kept you there for eight straight hours," Justin muttered angrily, looking at her scratched hand with hate. He looked back up at her. "Where are you getting the murtlap from? Most people don't have the ingredients for that. They aren't on our potions lists."

"Hermione has some," Scarlett said quickly, trying not to wince as the lie poured from her mouth.

"Of course," Justin said with a laugh. "Okay, well, I actually might head up to bed soon. This is the first night in a while that I'm homework free and I want to catch up on all that sleep I've been losing." Justin laughed again and smiled up at Scarlett.

"You want to _sleep_?" Ernie Macmillan asked from the other end of the couch. "You have no homework and you want to spend your free time _sleeping_?"

"I think it sounds like a good idea," Scarlett said.

"Well, I think it sounds dumb," Ernie said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head as he smirked at Justin.

"Maybe I'll play a game of Exploding Snap with Ernie just to get him to shut up," Justin said, smirking at his friend.

"Don't do me any favors," Ernie muttered.

"If you're not still awake when I come back then I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Scarlett laughed.

Justin nodded. Scarlett leaned over to kiss him before leaving the common room.

Fred was already waiting in the entrance hall when Scarlett got there. The bowl of murtlap was tucked under his arm.

"You look worried," he noted when she reached him.

"I am," she sighed. "I really hate lying to Justin. I hate lying in general."

"It gets easier," Fred teased.

"And how would you know?" Scarlett teased back, raising her eyebrows.

Fred laughed. "I agree with you. Lying to people you care about is always difficult. It doesn't really get any easier."

"So you lied to me just now about it getting easier," Scarlett said. "What does that say about you?" She smirked at him. "You don't care about me?"

"It was _very_ hard for me to tell you that lie," Fred said.

"Nice save." Scarlett rolled her eyes and Fred laughed.

"So, I guess you really do care about the Finch if it was so difficult for you to lie to him."

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

Fred shrugged. "I noticed you don't yell at me all that much for teasing him anymore."

"Only because I know it's no use!"

"It's not as fun if you don't get upset." Fred pretended to pout.

"Oh, don't be such a baby." Scarlett snorted and rolled her eyes, letting out a tiny laugh. After a brief pause, she gestured to the murtlap Fred was holding. "I'm guessing that's for me."

Fred nodded, but pulled away slightly as Scarlett reached for the bowl. "Ah, but I'm not just going to hand it over to you," he said.

"What do you mean?" Scarlett asked. "You said if I met you here, you'd give me the murtlap. I took that as you were going to hand it over and I'd go on my merry way."

"No, not quite," Fred grinned.

"Come on," she complained, "I told Justin I'd only be a few minutes." She paused. "Granted, he did say he was going to bed soon, but that's not important."

"See, your excuse is invalid," Fred said.

Scarlett sighed. "What do you have planned this time?"

"Come on." Fred led her by the arm towards the front doors.

"No," Scarlett said, trying to pull free. "Do you realize that if we stay out much longer then we'll be out after hours? Bad things always happen to me after hours. I mean, first I got locked in a classroom, then I got caught and had to sit through a detention with toad face as I wrote with my own blood."

"Will you shut up?" Fred asked, his tone showing his amusement. "Nothing bad is going to happen. You're with me."

"Big head," Scarlett muttered.

"Come again?" Fred asked, teasing her.

"You heard me. You must have quite the ego if you think you're invincible when it comes to getting caught."

"But I practically am," Fred laughed. "Invincible, I mean. I've snuck out so many times that I know just how to not get caught. I haven't gotten caught in years."

"I hope you're right," Scarlett sighed.

"Do you trust me?" Fred asked, pausing to turn and look at her.

"You asked me this once before," Scarlett pointed out.

"But I'm asking you again, just to double check. Do you trust me?"

"Yes, I do, but-,"

"Then come on!" Fred pulled her all the way down to the lake and under the shelter of a large willow tree beside the water. Fred sat down and looked up at Scarlett expectantly.

"Well, this is nice," she said, following Fred's lead and sitting down. "But I don't understand why you brought me here."

"You needed murtlap," Fred replied, setting the bowl down in between them and nudging it towards her.

"You could have just handed it to me like I was expecting you to," Scarlett reasoned.

Fred grinned. "I thought it would be best if we stayed out after hours, and on the way back I taught you a few of the secret passageways that George and I are so fond of. That way, on your next nighttime rendezvous you most likely won't get caught."

"Did you just say rendezvous?" Scarlett giggled.

"I did," Fred answered with a smile, leaning back against the tree trunk and lacing his fingers behind his head. He gestured with his chin to the bowl of murtlap. "Go ahead, it'll make your hand feel so much better."

Scarlett did as he said and sighed with relief as her hand touched the cool liquid.

"Better?" Fred asked with a knowing smirk.

"Uh-huh," she said, nodding vigorously as Fred laughed.

They sat in comfortable silence for a minute or two until Fred broke it.

"Do you still collect those, um, things?"

"What things?" Scarlett asked, looking up in confusion and surprise.

Fred looked as if he were struggling to think of the right name. "Those little papers that grew inside of those weird tan cookies."

"Fortunes from fortune cookies?" Scarlett giggled.

"Yeah," Fred nodded. "You used to have a whole bunch of them."

"They don't _grow _inside of the cookies, Fred. They're baked inside."

"Oh," Fred said, nodding. "I never actually understood how they got in there."

"To answer your question, though, yeah I still probably would collect them," Scarlett shrugged. "I just haven't had Chinese food in such a long time. I've only had it maybe once or twice since I was nine."

"Was it something special between you and your dad?" Fred guessed.

Scarlett nodded. "When we would go out to lunch every month, we would go to a Chinese restaurant nearly every time. My dad got me started on my collection, too. It started out as more of an experiment, actually. We were reading our fortunes and wondering if they were a load of nonsense or if maybe at least some of them could actually come true. We decided that if I saved them, I could one day go back and read through them and see if any of them did come true and we'd have our answer."

"Have any of them come true?" Fred asked.

"I don't know," Scarlett shrugged. "I haven't looked back on them in a while."

"Too painful?"

"Somewhat. It's more painful to think that my dad will never know the outcome of the experiment."

Fred nodded. After a short pause, he spoke again. "I used to collect rocks."

Scarlett laughed. "Rocks?"

"Rocks," he repeated. "I started after you moved away. I had always wanted to start my own collection after you told me about yours, but I didn't know what to collect, so I decided on rocks. No sentimental story or reason. I just liked rocks, I guess." He smiled and shrugged.

Scarlett giggled. "Do you still collect them?"

"No, mum said they were cluttering up my bookshelf. That's where I kept them. No books, just rocks."

Scarlett laughed. "At least you used the bookshelf for _something_ other than a dust collector."

"Exactly. See? You get it," Fred said, pointing a finger at her before putting his hand back behind his head. "Anyway, mum made me get rid of them all, but I secretly saved a few of my favorites in an old shoebox under my bed."

Scarlett laughed again and shook her head. She stared at the gently moving willow tree leaves. When she glanced back at Fred, he was staring at her. "What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Fred whispered. "Just thinking."

"About what?" Scarlett asked, leaning back on the hand that wasn't in the bowl of murtlap.

"Do you still hate your middle name?" Fred asked.

Scarlett blinked. "That's what you were thinking about?"

Fred nodded. "I remember teasing you constantly about it because you didn't like it."

"It was so unusual," Scarlett sighed. "I mean, Megara?" She didn't say anything for a moment, but her mouth curled into a smile. "I grew to appreciate it though. Especially after my dad died. He chose it, you know."

"Yeah?" Fred asked, looking interested.

"He loved Greek mythology," she nodded. "And my mother was insistent on my first name, so it was agreed that my dad would get to choose my middle name." She paused. "Actually, it was my dad's fault my mother fell in love with the name Scarlett. He introduced her to the movie _Gone With the Wind_."

"Movie?" Fred asked.

Scarlett smiled. "It's hard to explain, but it's a Muggle form of entertainment. There's a device called a television that Muggles can watch movies on….Basically people act out different storylines. They're filmed using more Muggle devices and made into movies that people can buy and watch at home. Sometimes they're based on books. Peter Pan, for instance? There's a movie about it." She smiled, knowing Fred would like that bit of information.

"Really?" Fred asked eagerly.

Scarlett nodded. "Actually, there are movies based on most of the stories I told you. Remind me to show you one day. I have a pretty good movie collection at home thanks to my dad."

"I'd like that," Fred said with a smile.

"So would I," Scarlett replied. "You know, speaking of my dad and Peter Pan, have you ever heard of Kensington Gardens in London?"

"I think I might have heard it mentioned once or twice, but I can't remember where," Fred shrugged. "Why?"

"There's a Peter Pan statue there. Sometimes, my dad and I would stop there and look at the statue after we went out for lunch. I loved it. I used to play on it when I was really little. I'm sure there are a few pictures somewhere, but..." she shrugged and trailed off.

Fred smiled. "I'd like to see it."

"You should," Scarlett told him.

"With you," Fred added.

Scarlett looked up at him and smiled. "If that's what you want."

Fred nodded. "Yeah."

"I haven't been there since...well, since the accident," Scarlett said with a dry laugh. "That's where it happened, you know. Across the street. In front of a hotel..."

"That's why Kensington Gardens sounded familiar!" Fred groaned. "I remember my mother mentioning it to my dad. They were whispering in the kitchen the day of the accident. I didn't know what they were talking about yet, of course, but naturally, George and I tried to eavesdrop. We heard my mother crying and saying something was tragic. We burst into the room and asked her flat out what was going on." Fred let out a tiny laugh at the memory. "She wouldn't tell us the details. She thought we were too young to know, but I remember she told us that your father died. She didn't even tell us you were in the hospital. Again, I think it was because she didn't want to frighten us. When George and I asked where you were, she simply said you weren't up to seeing anyone."

"Which turned out to be true once I was out of the hospital," Scarlett said. "I don't even think I talked to you at the funeral."

"No," Fred whispered. "I understand why now, but at the time I thought you didn't like me anymore."

"Oh, Fred, I'm sorry," she said.

"No, it's alright. You made up for it a few weeks later when you ran over to tell me you were moving. The fact that you were crying proved that you did in fact still like me." He smiled. "Unless they were tears of joy."

"No, of course not," Scarlett laughed.

"But then we stopped talking and seeing each other after you moved," Fred whispered. "And I got used to it after a while, but at first I thought that I had been right in suspecting you didn't like me anymore. I was hurt. George was, too. Even Ron and Ginny would ask where you were, but eventually they stopped asking when mum never gave them a real answer. For a while, I hoped you would come back, but eventually I accepted that you weren't. If I'm being honest, there were still times where I thought about you and missed you, but I grew accustomed to the fact that we weren't friends anymore. And when we started school, I didn't know how to talk to you anymore. I didn't know what to say or if it would be weird, or if you even wanted to talk to me."

"That's exactly how I felt about you," Scarlett whispered. "I didn't know where we stood."

"Exactly," Fred said. "And then you came back, almost out of nowhere. It made me nervous that I was going to be around you again when I found out you were coming to Grimmauld Place."

"Me, too," Scarlett told him. "And now we have to get married." She paused. "Why is our relationship all out of order? I mean, we went from best friends to practically strangers, to engaged, to acquaintences, to friends again. And even still our relationship isn't exactly what it used to be."

"We're getting there, aren't we?" Fred asked. "I'd like to think so, anyway."

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, I'd like to think so, too."

"As for the out of order bit," Fred smirked, "I think I should take credit for that. I mean, you should know that when you associate yourself with a Weasley twin, everything is a jumbled mess."

"Never a dull moment," Scarlett giggled.

"Exactly," Fred laughed. Then, he glanced at his watch. "We should probably be heading back now."

"Okay." Scarlett took her hand out of the murtlap and shook off the excess liquid. Fred picked up the bowl and tossed the murtlap into the grass. "What?" he asked when Scarlett raised her eyebrows.

"Wasteful," she teased.

"You just stuck your gross, cut up hand in there. You can't expect me to keep it. I'm thinking of sanitation here, Scar."

"Oh, so now my hand is gross and cut up? You were all concerned about it earlier today."

"Your hand was _always_ gross and cut up. Ever since your detention, at least. Just because I was concerned doesn't mean that I didn't think it was gross."

Scarlett sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Come on, let's go," Fred laughed.

They reached the front door and Fred stuck his head in first, looking left and right.

"All clear?" Scarlett asked.

"All clear," Fred answered, tiptoeing inside. "Okay, well the first secret passage you should know about is this way." He led her to a tapestry and pointed to it. "Leads to the third floor."

"Handy," Scarlett said, "but my common room's that way." She pointed in the other direction.

"Yeah, down by the kitchens, I know. I've seen it when I go with George to sneak food."

"Okay, so why are you taking me to the third floor?"

"To show you the secret passageways," Fred answered. "There aren't any between here and your common room so we have to take a few upstairs and then back down."

"Okay," Scarlett sighed, "let's do it."

Fred grinned and pushed the tapestry aside. They followed the passageway until they reached the back of what Scarlett guessed was another tapestry. Fred pushed it aside and Sarlett let out a gasp.

Filch was standing there about to pull away the tapestry himself. He glared at Scarlett and Fred while Mrs. Norris purred at his feet.

"Uh-oh," Fred gulped.

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Scarlett whispered. The question was directed at Fred, but it was Filch who answered.

"Yes, you are."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about the length of this chapter. It's a bit long, but there is a lot of Fred/Scarlett in it.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows for this story. I love reading them and I love knowing that people are enjoying the story!**


	15. Chapter 15

"_If you had the chance to change your fate, would you?"_

–**Merida (Brave)**

* * *

"I'm so, so sorry."

"Fred, don't be. It wasn't your fault." Scarlett stopped walking and leaned against the wall, clutching her bleeding left hand in her right one. She bit her lip. Her hand was throbbing with a stinging pain.

"It was just healing, too," Fred said softly, nodding towards the cuts on her hand. "It looked a lot better after you used the murtlap last night."

"I know," Scarlett said, "but now it's like I never used it. Your hand doesn't look that great either."

"Yeah, but not as bad," Fred said quickly. "It hardly hurts."

Scarlett raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Okay," Fred laughed, "maybe it does hurt."

"That's what I thought."

"At least she only kept us for four hours tonight instead of eight."

"Probably because you had a detention too. If it had just been me, I bet I would have been there for eight hours again."

"You think so?"

Scarlett nodded. "She wouldn't want anyone to get suspicious about how she's treating me." She sighed. "She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you. She's just a crabby, psychotic woman."

"Face it, Fred. She hates me. She didn't give anyone else an eight hour detention or lock anyone else in a classroom."

"Did you do something to set her off?"

"No, nothing!"

"Maybe you should confront her about it."

"And say what? That I've noticed she's singling me out and punishing me more than others so I just wanted to know why?"

Fred shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"

"She'd deny it."

"Tell Dumbledore."

"There's not much he can do. Umbridge would probably lie to him about it, too and she has the whole Ministry behind her."

Fred was silent for a moment. "Look," he finally said, "at least come back to the Gryffindor common room with me."

"Why?"

"Hermione promised to have some murtlap ready for me to use. You need it, too. More than I do, to be honest. It's the least I can do after getting you into this mess."

"It's not your fault," Scarlett argued.

"It is. I feel like I lied to you. I told you I rarely get caught sneaking around after hours and then we got caught."

"I guess I'm bad luck," Scarlett shrugged. "Anyway, maybe getting caught was good for you."

"Yeah? How so?" Fred asked, leaning against the wall beside her.

"It might shrink that big head of yours down a little bit." Scarlett looked up at him and smiled.

Fred laughed. "Alright, alright. I get it." He looked down at her hand and shook his head. "You know what? I'm not even going to ask you if you'll come back to the common room with me. I'm going to tell you. You need that murtlap, Scar."

Scarlett nodded. "Okay. I'm actually not planning on arguing with you."

Fred smiled. "Come on." He grabbed her arm and dragged her practically across the school. They finally skidded to a stop in front of a portrait of a woman in a pink dress.

"This is it?" Scarlett asked.

"This is it," Fred said. He smirked as he noticed Scarlett chewing on her lip. "There's a password to get in, but I heard from a prefect—Hermione, actually—that it's supposed to change soon anyway, so you don't have to worry about knowing something you really shouldn't."

"I wasn't worried about that," Scarlett retaliated.

Fred shrugged. "I think you are, but it doesn't really matter. I know you wouldn't give out the password." He grinned at her.

"Of course not," Scarlett scoffed. Fred turned back to the portrait, but she pulled on his arm. "Wait."

"What?"

"Angelina…she probably shouldn't see us."

"Angelina's already in bed." Fred looked as if he were about to laugh. "She's fighting a cold from the last Quidditch practice that _she_ insisted on having even though it was pouring rain and freezing." He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Anyway, she's tired. She wouldn't be concerned, though, even if she did see us."

"Are you sure? After what Justin said in the Shrieking Shack?"

"She knows you and I are friends. And giving you murtlap isn't anything to make any normal person become suspicious. She isn't as paranoid as the Finch is. Trust me on this."

"But you don't think someone else will see us and tell her?"

"Even if they did, she wouldn't care. It's not like they're going to see us doing anything we shouldn't be."

"But they might switch it around to make it sound that way. I know how people can be. They'll do anything to start drama."

"You really worry too much," Fred laughed. "But none of what you're worrying about is going to happen. If it does, I'll handle it. Besides, it's late. The common room will be practically empty."

Scarlett pursed her lips. "Fine, just give the password and let's get a move on."

Fred laughed and turned back to the portrait once more. "Dragon scales." The portrait swung open and Fred dragged Scarlett across the room to the couch in front of the fireplace. "Sit," he said, gently pushing on her shoulders.

Scarlett sat and looked around the room as Fred took a seat next to her. Fred had been right. The room was nearly empty. The few people who were in the room hadn't seemed to have noticed her. Except Hermione, of course, who was sitting in a nearby chair, looking at Scarlett and Fred over the top of her book.

"The murtlap's right there," she said slowly, pointing to a bowl on the table.

"Thanks, Hermione, I appreciate it," Fred said cheerfully, pulling the bowl towards him.

"Fred…?"

"Hm?" he asked, glancing at Hermione.

"You do realize that you brought a Hufflepuff into the Gryffindor common room, don't you? It's supposed to be secret to other Houses." She looked at Scarlett. "Not that I don't or wouldn't want you here, but it is against the rules, and being a Prefect, I have to, well, enforce them."

"Relax, Hermione," Fred said. "It's not like she's a Slytherin and she'd have no reason to come in here on her own anyway. Besides, didn't you say that the password was going to change next week?"

"Yes, I suppose I did," Hermione said slowly.

"Scarlett needed murtlap and it's my fault she got a detention tonight in the first place, so the least I could do was help her out," Fred continued.

"Fred," Scarlett sighed, "it's _not_ your fault."

"It is," Fred insisted. "It was my idea to bring you out after hours and show you the secret passageways, so I'm going to take responsibility and admit it."

"Wow," Hermione said. "Fred Weasley taking responsibility. He must really like you, Scarlett."

Fred rolled his eyes as Scarlett fought back a laugh and a blush. She knew Hermione meant Fred liked her as a friend. Even still, she couldn't stop herself from blushing.

"Anyway, here," Fred said, sliding the bowl of murtlap towards her. "Hermione will give me more later."

Hermione let out a puff of air through her nose, but didn't say anything.

"Share it?" Scarlett asked, slipping her hand into the bowl. "You shouldn't have to wait or end up getting more."

Fred opened his mouth to answer, but Hermione interrupted. "Are you sure that's sanitary? I mean, you both have open cuts on your hands and-,"

Scarlett smiled, fished out her wand and cast a charm over the bowl. "Sanitation…check."

Fred grinned and turned towards Scarlett so that he could slip his left hand into the bowl. Scarlett gazed down at her own hand, lost in thought. Suddenly, Fred hooked his pinky through hers, causing her to look up.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again, giving her a small smile.

"If you apologize one more time…" Scarlett threatened with a laugh.

"You'll what?" Fred asked.

Scarlett shook her head and looked away, focusing on looking around the room again.

"Do you remember pinky promises?"

Scarlett looked at Fred, who was looking down into the bowl at their intertwined pinkies. "Of course," she said, smiling slightly. "You, George and I used to make them all the time."

Fred smirked at her. "I guess they stopped being good enough. At least between you and me, I mean."

Scarlett laughed and let out a sigh. "Yeah, we moved on to the real thing. I suppose you're wishing we had simply pinky promised to get married? It would have gone forgotten after a while and there would be no pressure to keep it."

"Of course there would be," Fred said. "You can't break a pinky promise."

Scarlett giggled. "No, I suppose those were considered the Unbreakable Vows of childhood."

"To answer your question," Fred said after a moment, "sometimes I don't mind that we made this Unbreakable Vow."

"Why not?" Scarlett asked.

"Because then it makes me think that all the times we've had together since we found out about the vow wouldn't have happened. It forced us to talk to each other again."

Scarlett swallowed and looked up at him. "I agree," she said. She let out a tiny laugh. "It's kind of sad that we needed an Unbreakable Vow to talk to each other again. It makes us seem as if we were too cowardly to do it on our own."

Fred chuckled. "Either that or too lazy."

"So, if you could change it...if you could go back and undo this vow, would you?" Scarlett asked.

"You like to ask questions, don't you?" Fred smirked.

Scarlett shrugged one shoulder. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, not always," Fred answered. "Anyway, I really don't know if I would go back and change it. I mean, it's really not ideal for us right now for obvious reasons, but as I just said, it helped us grow close to each other again and I like that."

"So do I," Scarlett answered.

"What about you? Would you go back and change it?"

"I think my answers the same as yours. Maybe I'd undo me moving away instead so that we'd never grow apart in the first place. I'd undo the fact that I hardly spoke to anyone after my dad died. And I'd obviously undo the accident if I could. That might just solve everything."

Fred nodded. "I'd undo the accident, too, if I could."

"Yeah?" Scarlett asked, smiling at him.

"Yeah."

"That's sweet."

"Of course it is. What, you don't think I'm capable of being sweet?"

Scarlett snorted. "No," she said, smirking at him.

"Hey," Fred laughed, nudging her with his knee. He looked down into the bowl again at their still intertwined pinkies. "So…what are we promising this time?"

"Maybe you're promising that you won't get us into trouble anymore," Scarlett teased.

Fred rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand as he looked at her sheepishly. After a few seconds, a grin spread over his face once more. "Or maybe _you're_ promising that you won't worry so much anymore."

"That's not something I can just _promise_," she laughed. "It's something I'll have to work on."

"Well, get a move on, then," Fred said.

Scarlett snorted, but she had to look away to hide her smile.

* * *

Umbridge was becoming more and more of an annoyance with every passing day. In the days following Scarlett and Fred's detention, she had appointed herself the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts and had immediately started inspecting classes and issuing silly educational decrees. Banning all of Fred and George's products had been one of them, although people still used them as secretly as they could.

Besides that, she was now inspecting classes, which, according to her, meant she sat in the back of the classroom making sure the professors were up to standard. To everyone else, it meant she sat in the back of the classroom and annoyed everyone to no end while she made sure the professors were up to _her_ standard.

If Scarlett didn't have secret anti-Umbridge meetings to look forward to, she would have gone crazy. A little less than a week after her detention with Fred, Harry had found a place to hold the meetings and the next day, everyone gathered in the Room of Requirement. They had voted on the name Dumbledore's Army, Hermione had handed out coins charmed so that they could communicate meeting times, and they had gotten straight to practicing.

"So," Erica said at the second meeting (third, counting the one at the Hog's Head), "I'm a little insulted. You've had a fair amount of time to talk. Just about two weeks, actually, and you haven't spilled the details."

"What details?" Scarlett asked, wrinkling her nose in confusion. They were practicing disarming that day and Scarlett and Erica were partners. Justin, who had partnered with Scarlett last week, was practicing with Ernie Macmillan a few feet away. Next week, they would switch partners, so Scarlett would have a chance to partner with Justin again. Fred and George were doing the same with Katie and Angelina, Scarlett had noticed.

Erica lowered her voice slightly. "Have you forgotten already? Think back to two weeks ago. What were you doing?"

"I don't know. Sitting in detention?"

"I'm talking about the night you went to go pick up murtlap from 'Hermione'." Erica made quote marks in the air before tossing Scarlett's wand back at her. "But the last time I checked, Hermione was not a tall, freckled boy with red hair."

Scarlett groaned. "How did you figure it out that I didn't meet with Hermione?"

"I've known you long enough to tell when you're lying. Ha, disarmed you again. You're not focusing."

"I know I'm not," Scarlett said defiantly, catching her wand as Erica tossed it to her. "And am I really that rubbish of a liar?"

"No, I've just known you for a really long time. Besides, Justin may have gone to bed soon after you left, but I didn't. I was up long enough to know that you didn't get murtlap and come straight back to the common room. You did something else. If you were getting murtlap from Hermione, she wouldn't hang around for fear of breaking the rules and it's not like you two are close enough where you would spend time with each other anyway."

"How did you know that it was Fred I was with, though? I could have gone to do something on my own."

Erica shook her head. "Normally, I would have assumed you were alone, but now that I know about what's going on between you and Fred, it would make sense that you two would hang around each other."

"Are you mad that I didn't say anything?"

"No," Erica said slowly. "It's not like you were doing anything you shouldn't be with Fred, but I don't like that you're lying to Justin."

"I don't like it either, trust me," Scarlett answered.

"You should really tell him the truth about everything."

"I want to, but I can't."

"You can," Erica insisted. "It's not that hard."

"It is. You don't know because you aren't in my position."

Erica looked at her best friend. "Fair enough," she sighed, "but really, please tell him soon. He deserves to know, don't you think?"

Scarlett nodded.

"And," Erica continued, "I'm sure he'll understand."

"He won't," Scarlett groaned. "It's a terrible situation in the first place and on top of it, he's not exactly fond of Fred."

"I know," Erica said. "You really are in way over your head, which is why I think telling Justin sooner rather than later would be best."

"I know and I said the same thing about a month ago, but that was before things got so _complicated_. Expelliarmus." Erica's wand flew into Scarlett's outstretched hand. "Got you that time," Scarlett grinned.

Erica returned the smile and shook her head. "So, what did you do with Fred when he gave you the murtlap?" She glanced at Fred and George, practicing across the room.

"He wanted to show me all the secret passageways he knows so that the next time I felt like sneaking out, I could use them and not get in trouble. That's really why I was out after hours that night."

"Yeah, I figured your detention was related to being out with Fred," Erica said. "You were ever so vague when I asked _why_ you had another detention."

"I just told you I was out after hours," Scarlett laughed.

"On the same night you were going to get murtlap, a task you said would only take a few minutes," Erica smirked. "That was another thing that led me to believe you were lying about who you got the murtlap from."

"I didn't expect to actually spend _time_ with Fred," Scarlett giggled. "He wouldn't give me the murtlap unless I went with him."

"Went with him where?"

"We hung out by the lake until it was officially after hours. Then we came back inside and Filch caught us." She paused. "He also took me to the Gryffindor common room on the night of our detention."

"More murtlap?" Erica guessed.

"Yes, more murtlap," Scarlett said, exasperated. She paused for a moment. "Erica?"

"Yeah?"

"What happens if somewhere down the road, well, what if I do start to fall for Fred?"

Erica looked taken aback by the question. "What do you mean 'what happens'?"

"Well let's just say that one day I wake up," she glanced at Justin and lowered her voice, "and I like Fred. I mean, I know if it were serious, I'd have to end things with Justin, but maybe the feelings for Fred won't even be real. Maybe I'll be tricking myself into thinking I like him because I know I have to marry him anyway. I mean, knowing who you have to marry before you marry them changes things."

"So, you're worried you'll fall in 'fake' love with Fred and think it's real so you'll end up breaking up with Justin for nothing?"

"Yeah, something like that," Scarlett said with a shrug.

"Well, you have to marry Fred anyway, so either way you'll be breaking up with Justin at some point," Erica said reasonably. "As for the love thing, well, I don't think there is such a thing as fake love."

"You hear about it all the time," Scarlett said. "Two people think they're in love, but it turns out they aren't."

"See, I think of it as they _were_ in love-some kind of love, anyway, because there are all different kinds—and then they realize that they don't feel the kind of love for that person that they thought they did, or they find someone that they're more compatible with."

"So, you're saying if I fall in love with Fred or start to feel anything for him at all then it's the real thing?"

Erica nodded and smirked. "Yeah, why are you asking? Something you're not telling me?"

"No, just wondering," Scarlett answered with a shrug as Harry dismissed them for the night. Justin came and took her hand and Scarlett drove all thoughts of Fred out of her mind. Erica was right—there were all kinds of love and Scarlett loved Fred like a really good friend. However, the bigger issue seemed to be the prospect that she would probably never see him as anything more.


	16. Chapter 16

"_Faith makes things turn out right."_

–**Penny (The Rescuers)**

* * *

For the next few months, Scarlett did her best to stay out of Umbridge's way. She made sure to follow all of the rules and even the silly decrees. She didn't need Umbridge finding another reason to give her a detention.

"Scar, stop walking on the other side of the hallway," Justin said, half laughing. It was a few days before the Christmas holidays. Justin was going on a ski trip with his family and most likely wouldn't be in contact much over break. Scarlett was going home as well, like she did practically every year. She had only stayed at school once and that was to go to the Yule Ball. However, while she did get to go home, there wasn't a ski trip or any other trip in her future. Scarlett wasn't necessarily complaining, though. She was going to spend her two week holiday at home, building snowmen drinking hot chocolate, and frequently hanging out with Erica.

The last D.A. meeting before the holidays had been the night before and they had spent the time reviewing what they had already learned, which had actually been quite a lot. The D.A. was one of the few things about Hogwarts that Scarlett was going to miss over the holiday this year.

Now, Scarlett ignored Justin as she watched Umbridge pass by them and round the corner before returning to Justin's side. "Boys and girls can't be within eight inches of each other," she stated.

Justin snorted. "That's a stupid rule. Nobody obeys it."

"I know that and I don't plan on obeying it either. Not really."

"Only when Umbridge is around?" Justin asked, smirking.

"Yeah," Scarlett nodded. "I don't want her to find another reason to put me in detention, no matter how silly."

Justin shrugged. "I guess that makes sense."

Scarlett grinned at him. "It's been working so far, hasn't it?"

"Yes, which I suppose is a good thing. I don't want your hand to get any worse."

"I don't either. Trust me," Scarlett answered. They made it to the door leading to the dungeons and stopped just outside. Scarlett sighed. She had Potions next and she wasn't looking forward to it. It wasn't that she was terrible at it. In fact, she was actually average, but she felt that she could do so much better if Snape hadn't been so picky about grades.

Over Justin's shoulder, Scarlett saw Fred and Angelina walking hand in hand down the hallway. Ever since the detention, Fred hadn't asked Scarlett to spend time together. They had talked in Herbology, but apparently Fred was adamant about not getting Scarlett in trouble anymore. At least until her hand healed, or Umbridge backed off or was out of the picture. It was actually a sweet gesture. Scarlett didn't mind all that much, but she did enjoy the time she and Fred spent together. It felt like it did back when they were close.

On his way by, Fred spotted Scarlett. He glanced at Justin before looking back at Scarlett and smirking. Scarlett fought the urge to stick out her tongue.

"So, I'll see you after class?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, after class," Scarlett responded, smiling up at him. She kissed him goodbye before turning and heading into Potions.

* * *

"Explain to me again why you're leaving early?" Erica asked sleepily. "And why is it in the middle of the night?"

Scarlett sighed as she hurried to pack the rest of her things. "I told you, Mr. Weasley's been attacked. And besides, I'm only leaving a matter of hours before I'd get on the train back home anyway."

"Yeah, but it's still early," Erica muttered, pulling her pillow over her head.

Scarlett didn't answer. She needed to pack. Only about ten minutes ago, Professor Sprout had woken her up and given her the news that Mr. Weasley had been attacked by a snake while on guard duty and that Scarlett's mother would be there soon to explain the situation in a little more detail. Then, Scarlett would be going to Grimmauld Place to wait with the other Weasleys. Now that Scarlett's mother was in the Order officially, she needed to be around to sort out these sorts of things, which meant both her and Scarlett being at Grimmauld Place over the holidays. So much for Scarlett's relaxing Christmas. Now she'd be locked inside Grimmauld Place once again. Not that she minded all that much, of course. She was more concerned about Mr. Weasley than her own holiday at the moment.

"Can't you pack a little quieter?" Erica grumbled.

"Sorry," Scarlett answered. "I know how much you hate to be woken up."

"I still don't understand completely. You said Mr. Weasley's been attacked, but by _what_?"

"A snake. He's in St. Mungo's now. Mrs. Weasley and my mother have been notified and my mother has to be at Grimmauld Place to sort all this out, which means that I have to spend my holiday there as well. It's not ideal, but it's not a great time to complain right now. Besides, I know what Fred and his siblings are feeling. They're probably terrified and it would make sense for me to be there for them, right?"

"I guess so," Erica muttered.

"I mean," Scarlett said quietly, "I did lose my dad. I know what it's like."

"Mr. Weasley isn't dead," Erica said.

"No, but it's a serious bite. They don't know what's going to happen." Scarlett closed her trunk and double checked the room to make sure she had everything.

"Umbridge won't like it," Erica said. "She won't care how many hours there are until you were supposed to leave. You'd better hope she doesn't try to give you another detention."

"I have Dumbledore's approval to leave," Scarlett reasoned. "But if Umbridge gives me another detention, then I'll go to it."

"Why?" asked Erica. "You do have a reason for leaving, and like you said, it really isn't that much earlier than you were supposed to leave _and_ Dumbledore gave you permission. I'm sure you could have him or your mother vouch for you. Or maybe even both. Dumbledore's headmaster after all. He has more power over Umbridge in the end."

"I'm not going to drag my mother into this and how silly would I look complaining to Dumbledore about a detention?"

"Not silly at all because you don't deserve a detention!"

Scarlett let out a sigh and grabbed the handle of her trunk. "Hopefully I won't get one so I won't even have to worry about it. Anyway, I should be going now. My mum's probably already here."

"Okay, well, have a good time, I guess," Erica said, smirking and pressing her face into her pillow, probably hoping to get back to sleep.

"Thanks, I guess," Scarlett smirked back. "Oh, can you make sure Justin gets this?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded up note before tossing it on Erica's bed. "It's just explaining that I left and why so he's aware that I won't be on the train home tomorrow."

"What's your explanation?" Erica asked.

"The truth," Scarlett answered.

"I thought you were avoiding talking or mentioning Fred to Justin," Erica said.

"I am, but this time I really can't avoid it. Besides, the note explains everything. Justin will have no reason to think that I just snuck off with Fred in the middle of the night. And anyway, as much as it shouldn't, news about Mr. Weasley's attack will get out, so if Justin wants any more proof, he'll have it."

Erica nodded. "I'll give him the note at breakfast tomorrow."

"Thanks, I'll see you after the holidays, then."

"See you," Erica said with a wave.

Scarlett waved back before turning and lugging her trunk through the door.

* * *

For the second time in about four months, Scarlett found herself dragging her trunk out of the Grimmauld Place fire. She took in a shaky breath and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. Traveling by Floo still made her somewhat sick.

"Scarlett, you're here." Sirius stood up from the table and approached her. "Where's your mother?"

"She explained everything to me back in Professor Sprout's office and then she went straight to St. Mungo's to meet Mrs. Weasley while I came here."

"Did she tell you anything about dad?" Ginny piped up from her spot at the table.

"No, I don't think she knows much either. I expect I was given the same amount of information as all of you." Scarlett scanned the table. Ginny, Ron, George and Harry were there, but Fred was missing. "Where's Fred?"

Everyone shrugged, but it was George who actually answered. "He went upstairs only about five minutes ago."

"He's probably in his room," Sirius said. "It's been hard on everyone. Fred probably just needed some time alone to think."

"I think I know where he is," Scarlett said, suddenly struck with an idea. "I'm going to go talk to him."

"He probably doesn't want company, Scarlett. I don't know if that's the best idea," Sirius warned.

"Maybe not, but it's worth a try," Scarlett called over her shoulder as she headed up the stairs, leaving her trunk where it was. She could bring it to her room later, but right now, she didn't have time.

She raced up staircase after staircase until she reached the top floor, where she had to take one last flight of stairs. When she reached the top and pushed the door to the roof open, she saw that she had been right in guessing that Fred had come up here. He was standing with his back to her and his hands on the railing.

"Fred?" Scarlett whispered tentatively.

He jumped slightly and turned around. "Scarlett. What are you doing here?"

"My mum's in the Order now, remember? She has to be around to help figure out what happened tonight. Besides, she wants to be there for your mum. She went to St. Mungo's right after she explained everything to me."

Fred nodded. "You know, I appreciate you coming up here, but I'm not sure if I want to talk." He turned away from Scarlett again and looking down at his hands.

"I can respect that if it's really what you want, but, well, I have some things to say first," Scarlett replied, moving to Fred's side and hopping up to sit on the railing. She rested her palms on the cool stone and lightly swung her heels against the railing. "Fred, I'm so sorry about what happened."

"Don't be," he replied quickly. He sounded as if he were holding back tears.

"But I am," she whispered. Fred looked at her and Scarlett could actually see the tears forming in his eyes now. "He'll be okay, Fred," she assured him.

"You don't know that, Scar," he said. "Mum sent us a letter before you got here. She said dad was 'still alive'. That sounds like he's hovering between life and death. You don't know if he'll be okay. You just don't, so how can you say that?" His voice was unsteady and it was practically breaking Scarlett's heart.

"The way I see it," she said, trying to stay calm, "is that 'still alive' means just that: he's still alive. Obviously, snake bites can be deadly, but he's not dead. He's putting up a good fight and he has a good chance at survival. They found him enough time. And there's a lot they can do to fix snake bites. I mean, I'm not a Healer, but I want to be. Ever since my dad died…." She shrugged and trailed off.

"Is this how you felt?" Fred asked, composing himself and swiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. "You know, after the accident."

"Worse," she answered, looking down at her feet. "There was no waiting for me. There was no maybe. No hope. He was just gone and nobody could do anything to stop it. But you, Fred…you have a maybe. Your dad has a shot and you have hope." She looked at him. "You're lucky." They stared at each other for a moment before she took a deep breath. "Anyway, I do want you to know that if it does go the other way, well, I'm here. If you want to talk, I mean. I just—I know what it's like. And I don't want you to be like me. You know, feeling like you can't talk about it."

"Thanks, Scar," Fred whispered. "Really, I appreciate it." He hopped up on the railing next to her and there was a brief pause before he spoke again, his voice a whisper. "Tell me a story."

"Which one?"

"Peter Pan."

Scarlett smiled. "I should have known. I'm sure you know this story by heart at this point."

"No," Fred smiled faintly and shook his head. "And even if I did, it's loads better when you tell it."

"I'm flattered."

"You should be."

Scarlett smiled again and blushed slightly. "Okay, well," she leaned back on her hands and looked up at the sky before reciting the first line of the story. "All children, except one, grow up—"

"Do you think there could be room for more than one?" Fred interrupted.

"What?" Scarlett looked over at him, confused.

Fred sighed. "Sometimes staying a kid forever seems like such a good idea. They're so…innocent and their biggest issues are deciding whether to play Exploding Snap or Wizard's chess or if they want Chocolate Frogs or Pumpkin Pasties after dinner."

Scarlett smiled. "True, but I expect after a while you'd get sick of it. Personally, I think I'd be too curious about what I was missing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'd wonder what kinds of things in my future I'd be missing out on if I didn't grow up."

Fred was silent for a few seconds. "Yeah, but sometimes I think I'd be willing to sacrifice."

Scarlett laughed. "You say that now, but you might end up changing your mind one day."

"Want to bet on it?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes and snorted.

"No, I'm serious," Fred continued. "Five Sickles." He held out his hand for Scarlett to shake.

After a moment, Scarlett took it. "You're on," she smirked.

Fred smiled. "Excellent."

"So," Scarlett said slowly, "if you'd want to stay a kid forever, does that mean you'd want to sacrifice Angelina? If you were forever a little boy, you'd never have dated her."

"Depends on what age I was stuck on. If I was eleven or twelve, I would have been friends with Angelina, but I would be too young to understand romance or relationships so if I don't understand it then being friends with her would have always been fine with me. Technically, I wouldn't have to sacrifice her at all."

"Yeah," Scarlett said, "but you would have sacrificed _dating_ her and isn't that kind of a step up from friendship?"

"Yeah, but if I never knew of it, then how can I understand what I'm missing?"

"Fred, we're talking about living _here_, not in Neverland. You wouldn't grow up on an island surrounded by other children just like you who were none the wiser. You'd be stuck as an eleven year old in the real world."

"Yeah, and?" Fred asked, smiling.

"And you're telling me that you'd never look at your parents or anybody else and wonder about what being in love felt like? And not even just that, but…you want to open a joke shop, right? You mean to tell me that you'd never wonder about whether or not you'd be able to do it if only you could grow up?"

Fred tilted his head in thought. "Imagine this," he finally said, holding his hands out in front of him. "Fred and George Weasley, the first eleven year old shop owners."

Scarlett laughed. "You have a lot of faith in yourself, don't you?"

"Or I'm just bigheaded," Fred teased, bumping his knee against hers. "Isn't that right?"

Scarlett laughed. "It _was_ a serious question, you know," she said, glancing at him.

"Maybe you're right, Scar." Fred sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that sometimes I miss the way things used to be." He looked at her and added in a whisper, "Even between us."

Scarlett stared at him. "Yeah?" she whispered back.

Fred nodded. "Yeah."

"So let me ask you this," she smirked.

"Oh, Merlin, here we go," Fred groaned.

Scarlett giggled. "Shut up. So you'd rather go back to the days when our relationship was nothing more than two kids digging up worms and playing pranks and not develop anything more? You'd rather go back to that than see where this vow thing goes?"

"Okay, okay, first of all," Fred said, "what do you mean our relationship was _nothing more_ than digging up worms and pulling pranks? I think we had a pretty good relationship back then. You were my closest friend after George and for us to make this vow in the first place our friendship had to have been more, right?" he grinned at her.

"Okay, fair point," Scarlett shrugged. "But what I meant was that you'd rather go back to our childhood relationship than the one we have now or will have in the future?"

"I didn't say I'd want to go back and get stuck there."

"If you never grew up, you would be stuck there. That's what you just said you wanted."

"Yeah, but I know it's impossible. Really, what I'm saying is that I miss it. I miss how things used to be. I miss _you_."

"But I'm right here," Scarlett smirked. "Or do you not like this older version of me? You'd rather have the nine year old me?"

Fred groaned. "No, I like the way you are now. A lot, actually. But all I meant was that we had a lot of good times back then. We were kids and now we're grown up and things are different and everything's changing and there's a war coming….I miss not stressing. And as far as our relationship in the future and this whole vow…are you saying you think we have a shot at falling in love?"

"I'm not saying anything," Scarlett said, raising her hands in defense.

"Then why were you asking me?"

"I wasn't asking you about that. I was asking you if you'd rather go back. I was asking if you were curious at all about how this could turn out. Basically, well, do you think a relationship could work or do you just see me as your childhood friend?"

"Why are you asking? The Finch not good enough anymore?" He bumped her knee again.

"I'm curious," Scarlett said, swatting him. "See? Like I said, this is why I couldn't be stuck as a kid forever. I ask too many questions and think too much."

"I'll say," Fred snorted. "You _were_ always like that as a kid, too. It could be bloody annoying sometimes."

"Can you answer the question?" Scarlett rolled her eyes.

Fred fell silent and stared down at his feet. Scarlett was beginning to think he wasn't going to answer, but finally he looked at her again. "Why did you phrase the question as if it was either or?"

"What do you mean?"

"You asked me if I thought a relationship could work out _or_ if I saw you as just a childhood friend. Can't a relationship come from being childhood friends? Isn't that what we wanted to establish by making the vow? Of course, I can't say for sure because I can't actually remember, thanks to Bill, but…." He trailed off and shrugged. "Maybe it's not either or. I mean, technically Angelina's a childhood friend too."

"Yeah, but there's a difference. If you saw me as the sister type-,"

"But that's not what you said. A childhood friend is different than seeing someone as a sister. And clearly, if we vowed to marry each other then I didn't see you as a sister and you didn't see me as a brother."

"So you think this could work."

Fred nodded. "It _could_, but I don't know for sure."

"That's why you have to _grow up_ and find out," Scarlett teased.

Fred smiled. "Don't fire another question off at me about this, but I think I just got so used to us being apart to actually do anything about rekindling our friendship and now being around you again…well, it's made me realize how much I missed you. Not just our old friendship, but _you._"

Scarlett smiled back. "Same," she whispered. "It's made me regret not trying to fix it sooner."

"Me too." The two of them were quiet for a moment before Fred spoke again. "I like debating with you about the pros and cons of being a kid forever," he smirked. "It made me forget about life for a little while."

"See, if you were stuck as an eleven year old, we could never have had this debate," Scarlett said, smirking.

Fred groaned. "Alright, alright."

"Are you admitting defeat?"

"No," Fred answered. "Bet's still on."

"Okay," Scarlett answered. "Just let me know when you do give up."

"I won't. Ever. Now, see, all I wanted was a story and it turned into a huge discussion."

"You started it by asking me a ridiculous question," Scarlett scoffed jokingly.

"It wasn't ridiculous!" Fred protested. "Now, get back to the story," he demanded with a half-smile. He lazily leaned back on his hands and looked at Scarlett expectantly.

Scarlett smiled and slid off of the railing and onto the ground. When Fred fallowed suit, she started telling the story of Peter Pan once again. By the time she finished, it had started to snow.

"Scar?" Fred asked quietly. His head was resting on the stone railing and his eyes were closed.

"Mm?" she responded, resting her head on the stone as well and staring at the swirling white flakes of snow above her.

"Do you ever tell the Finch any stories?"

"No," she answered, "just you."

"Good, I like it best that way," Fred whispered.

"Me, too," Scarlett whispered back.

* * *

**A/N: I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. It's one of my favorites so far...I just love the talks Fred and Scarlett have :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

_"Don't think and don't worry. If the time comes, you'll know what to do."_

**-Mrs. Incredible (The Incredibles)**

* * *

The following day was Christmas Eve and sometime around mid-morning, Scarlett found herself in the living room helping Ginny with some last minute decorating.

"So how are things on the Fred front?" Ginny asked.

"Same as always," Scarlett replied, shrugging.

"What does that mean?" Ginny asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Nothing has changed between me and Fred since summer," Scarlett answered, standing on her tiptoes to hang up some tinsel on the large tree in the corner of the room.

"Couldn't you at least try to fall in love with him?" Ginny asked.

"What good would that do?" Scarlett asked. "Trying, I mean. I can't _force_ it to happen and besides, even if it did, it would only be one sided. Fred would still like Angelina. I can't make him like me. And how horrible would it be if I ended up in love with him and he didn't return the feelings or vice versa? If I were him, I'd feel terribly guilty."

"But can't you-,"

"We're spending time together," Scarlett sighed. "There's not much more we can do."

Ginny was silent for a minute. "I think you like him. You just don't want to admit it because it would complicate your life so much more."

"Well, it would," Scarlett answered, fluffing the tinsel on the tree with almost a little too much vigor.

Suddenly, the door opened and Fred and George entered the room, whooping.

"Is mum back from St. Mungo's yet?" Ginny asked, climbing down from the stepstool she was on and dusting off her hands. Mrs. Weasley had come back late from St. Mungo's the night before and had left early to return to the hospital that morning.

"Yeah," Fred grinned. "She said that dad's fine, he's healed, and he can come home tomorrow afternoon! We're all going to go visit him before we bring him back here."

Ginny let out a yell of joy and George picked her up and spun her around happily.

"Fred, that's really great news," Scarlett said, grinning.

"I know!" Fred cried, grabbing Scarlett in an unexpected hug and spinning her around, resulting in her giggling. When he put her down, they stood smiling at each other until Scarlett blushed and looked away while Fred did the same and cleared his throat.

"Here, catch." Ginny suddenly tossed a garland at Fred from across the room. Scarlett hadn't even noticed that she and George had left their side.

"What do you want me to do with this?" Fred asked, catching part of the garland against his chest. He looked up at Ginny as he began pulling the ends up off the floor.

"Go with Scarlett and hang it on the banister of the kitchen stairs. It's the only one not done yet. George and I will finish up in here."

Scarlett didn't know if it was her imagination or not, but she could have sworn that Ginny sent a smirk her way and Scarlett could only take that to mean one thing. Ginny was sending Scarlett and Fred out to decorate alone so they would have time together. They only problem was that Scarlett still felt that she couldn't be forced into liking Fred. She had to fall for him on her own and so far, she still really liked Justin and Fred still really liked Angelina. It was so simple, and yet, Scarlett still felt so confused.

* * *

"This is torture, isn't it?" Fred groaned, sitting down next to Scarlett on the living room floor that night. She had been rolling a tiny ball back and forth with Binky, Fred's pygmy puff. He and George were working on breeding them and they were planning to sell them in their joke shop once they got it open. Just before the holidays, they had adopted two for themselves. Ginny had taken the liberty of naming Fred's for him after he had complained about not being able to come up with a name. After Ginny chose Binky, the furry creature wouldn't answer to anything else, leading to Fred grumbling about how Ginny chose the worst names and how sorry he felt for her future children.

"It's better than Pigwidgeon, though, isn't it?" George had asked, earning a shrug from Fred in response. At the current moment, George's pygmy puff, Marmaduke, was sleeping on his shoulder, which was nothing new.

"What's torture?" Scarlett asked, glancing at Fred.

"This rubbish my mum calls music," Fred replied, gesturing to the radio in the corner. "Celestina Warbeck. You've heard of her."

"No, can't say that I have," Scarlett said, scrunching up her face in thought.

"You have. Mum's listened to her every Christmas Eve and Christmas day since, well, as long as I can remember. You spent a few Christmases at the Burrow when we were younger, if I'm not mistaken. In fact, didn't we make the vow on Christmas?"

"I don't know, Fred, I don't remember."

"I think that's what Mum said," Fred shrugged. "She also said we were playing hide and seek which suddenly makes so much more sense considering Celestina was on. Anyway, my point is that you definitely have heard of Celestina Warbeck."

"Must have completely blocked her from my mind, then."

"Lucky you."

"I wasn't really listening to her now, anyway. I was thinking."

"You must've been pretty deep in thought if you could tune out Celestina. What were you thinking about? The Finch?"

Scarlett nodded and trapped the ball under her hand as Binky nudged it back to her with his nose. "You really shouldn't call him that."

"Why not? It's his name, isn't it?"

"Partly," Scarlett answered, looking into the fire.

"You miss him," Fred stated, taking the ball out from under Scarlett's hand. Binky, upset that the game had unexpectedly ended, had taken to trying to bite Scarlett's fingers. Upon seeing that Fred now had the ball, he scurried back to his previous post and waited patiently.

"Yeah," Scarlett answered, watching as Fred rolled the ball back towards Binky, who immediately nudged it back. She did miss Justin, but what she had really been thinking about was that she really did have to tell him the truth. It was nagging at her, but at the same time, there was something stopping her from going through with it. None of what she was going through was easy and she had no idea where to begin explaining it to Justin. "You must miss Angelina a lot," she added.

Fred nodded. "She's been a very good friend. Ever since we were eleven we've been close."

"She was my replacement, wasn't she?" Scarlett joked, smiling.

Fred smiled back. "No one could ever replace you, Scar."

Scarlett snorted in response.

"I was being serious," Fred laughed.

"She is your girlfriend, you know," Scarlett said.

"Yeah," Fred said slowly.

"Yet all you have to say about her is that she's a good friend?"

Fred shrugged before smirking at her. "What, you want the other kind of details?" he asked.

"No," Scarlett said quickly.

"That's what I thought," Fred laughed. He leaned forward and extended his arm across the floor, the palm of his hand facing upwards. Binky crawled into his hand and Fred placed the fluffy creature on his shoulder.

"You know, you were right. This really is awful." Scarlett jerked her head towards the radio.

"I know," Fred grinned. Suddenly, he perked up even more. "I have an idea. It'll get us out of listening to Celestina."

"I'm eager to hear it, then," Scarlett answered, reaching out to stroke Binky's fur. The pygmy puff made a squeak of happiness and nuzzled into Scarlett's hand.

"He likes you," Fred said with a smile.

"And I like him," Scarlett cooed, scratching Binky's tiny ears. She looked back up at Fred. "So, what's your idea?"

"Do you happen to know any stories about wizards? I've been curious to find out if Muggles had any stories about us."

"I told you one," she said.

"That one about witches doesn't count. There were no wizards at all. Just witches. And it was completely inaccurate."

"Well," Scarlett said slowly, "there is _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_. I wouldn't say this one is all that accurate, either, but-,"

"It doesn't matter. It still sounds perfect," Fred said, waving his hand.

"Don't you want to know what it's about first?"

"I'll be finding out in a minute," Fred answered.

"I thought you liked it better when the stories were between just me and you," Scarlett said.

"I do, but this is important. I'm willing to sacrifice so that we can stop listening to this rubbish music." Before Scarlett could say another word, he turned and addressed the room. "Oi, everyone, listen up! Scarlett's going to tell us a Muggle story about a wonderful wizard from Oz!"

"Where's Oz?" Ron asked. "I've never heard of it."

"It doesn't exist," Scarlett explained. "It's a fictional place the author made up. The whole story was supposed to be made up."

"Turn off Celestina," Fred ordered, looking at Ginny, who was sitting closest to the radio. "Nobody was really listening to her anyway, right?"

Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat.

"Except Mum, of course," Fred finished.

"She'll be back on tomorrow, so I suppose it's all right," Mrs. Weasley shrugged.

"Yeah, and besides, Scarlett knows the best stories."

"Oh, please, no I don't," Scarlett argued.

"You do. Please? Tell us the story?" Fred pleaded.

"Fine, I'll tell it," Scarlett sighed with a smile.

Fred grinned back and scooted over to sit next to George on the floor in front of the couch.

Scarlett leaned against a nearby armchair and looked around the room at all of the eager faces. She almost laughed. They all looked so incredibly interested. "Okay," Scarlett said, taking a deep breath. "So, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz." She looked around the room once more before beginning to tell the story.

* * *

"Alright, everyone outside!" Mrs. Weasley ordered. "We'll be taking the Knight Bus to St. Mungo's. Tonks and Mad-Eye will be accompanying us."

Scarlett stood at the bottom of the kitchen stairs as Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Mad-Eye, Tonks, Fred and George began clambering up to the ground floor, bundled up in warm clothing and chatting excitedly. They were all more than ready to go visit their father and help bring him back to Grimmauld Place in time for Christmas dinner.

"Aren't you coming, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking at Scarlett.

"No," she said, smiling slightly and shaking her head.

"What?" Fred's voice cried from above. Footsteps hurriedly dashed back down the stairs and Scarlett smirked as Fred and George stuck their faces around the corner and looked at her.

"I'll stay behind with my mum and help her get dinner ready," Scarlett said. "It's nearly impossible for just one person to do it alone."

"Rubbish," her mother said. "You should go. Besides, I won't be alone. Sirius will be helping me."

Scarlett looked over her shoulder at Sirius, who was leaning against the counter, drinking a butterbeer.

"What?" he asked, freezing with his drink halfway to his mouth and wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"You'll be helping me cook dinner," Scarlett's mother said, thrusting a spoon into his hand.

Scarlett looked at Sirius and smiled as he rolled his eyes. He looked at her and mouthed "Your mother's gone mad."

"What was that?" Scarlett's mother asked.

"What was what?" Sirius replied innocently.

"I saw you mouthing something to my daughter." Scarlett's mother smirked over her shoulder at Sirius.

"I was just saying that of course she should go with the others and that we'll be fine here."

Scarlett's mother rolled her eyes and smiled. "We will be fine, Sirius. Scarlett, if you want to go to St. Mungo's, then you should go."

"I think it should be just the Weasleys. It's their dad. It should be just family."

"Harry and Hermione are going," George said.

"Yeah, but they practically are family and Harry saved your dad's life. I don't think I should-,"

"What do you think you are?" Fred asked.

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't think I'm considered family."

"Of course you are, dear," Mrs. Weasley assured her. "Just because we didn't keep in contact for a while doesn't mean the way we felt about you changed."

Scarlett smiled. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."

"Besides, in a little under two and a half years, you will be family," George added.

Scarlett blushed and looked at the ground.

"You have to come, Scar," Fred pleaded. "You deserve to come just as much as any of us."

Scarlett shook her head and smiled up at him. "I appreciate it, but I'm going to stay here. I'll see your dad when he gets back. There are enough people going as it is. You don't need one more. I wouldn't really feel right about going."

"You're sure?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, you guys go. Take your time, too, because Christmas dinner might be a while considering we can safely say Sirius won't be helping." She grinned over her shoulder at him.

"I will be helping! I'll be helping taste test everything to make sure it's up to standard."

"Yeah, so with no help from Sirius..." Scarlett continued, laughing and turning back to Mrs. Weasley and the twins. "Honestly, go."

"If you're sure…." Mrs. Weasley began.

"I'm sure," Scarlett giggled. "Really, I am."

"Okay," Mrs. Weasley said. She turned to the twins. "Come on, everyone's probably waiting for us outside." She headed up the stairs and the twins began to follow. Fred took one last look at Scarlett over his shoulder and gave her a tiny wave.

She waved back and gave him a smile.

"Please come?" Fred mouthed, pouting slightly.

Scarlett shook her head. "Go," she urged.

Fred rolled his eyes and shrugged before hurrying up the rest of the stairs. Scarlett smiled and turned to help her mother with Christmas dinner.

"Okay!" Sirius said excitedly. "Let's get started!"

"I have started, Sirius," Scarlett's mother said absentmindedly from where she was prepping the turkey.

Scarlett giggled. "I'm guessing you didn't do much cooking in your lifetime," she said, raising an eyebrow at Sirius.

"I didn't do _any_," Sirius snorted.

"Here, take these." Scarlett's mother thrust a bowl of carrots at Scarlett. "You and Sirius can wash and peel them."

Scarlett took a spot at the counter with the peeler as Sirius stood at the sink. He ran one of the carrots under the faucet once before handing it to Scarlett.

"You didn't do a very good job," she said, passing it back to him.

"It's going to be peeled anyway, isn't it?" he asked, running the carrot under the faucet a second time.

Scarlett smiled. "My mother likes things done thoroughly."

"Your mother's not paying attention to us, is she?" Sirius asked with a wink as he glanced at Scarlett's mother, who was still working on the turkey.

Scarlett smiled wider. "You just love to cut corners don't you?" she asked as Sirius passed her the carrot a second time. She took it and began to peel it over the scrap bowl her mother had given her.

"Always have," Sirius grinned, taking a second carrot. They worked in silence for a moment until Sirius spoke again. "So, things seem to be going well between you and Fred."

"We're doing fine, yeah," Scarlett nodded. "We're talking more at school now. It was so easy to fall back into our old friendship. I never knew it would be that easy or else I would have rekindled it ages ago."

Sirius smiled. "He seems to like you."

Scarlett froze and looked at up at him. "Define 'like'," she said, her voice low.

"Hostile thing, aren't you?" Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Did you see the way he was practically begging you to go to St. Mungo's? That should define it enough for you."

"No, it doesn't. He just thought I should go with them. It meant nothing."

"I didn't see anyone else begging you like that. And what about the night before last?"

"What about it?" Scarlett asked, finishing up with the first carrot and taking the second one from Sirius.

"When Fred, George, Ginny, Ron and Harry first got here that night," Sirius said in a whisper, "they were naturally all pretty torn up about it. Fred only lasted down here for a few minutes before he said he couldn't take it anymore and went upstairs."

"Couldn't take what?" Scarlett asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Being around people, I guess. That's why I warned you not to go talk to him. I thought he wanted to be alone. He _did _want to be alone. At least he sincerely thought he did. He didn't even want to be in George's company. And yet he talked to you. He talked to you for a _while_. He didn't tell you to leave and he didn't try to walk away."

"He did say he didn't really want to talk," Scarlett shrugged, "but I didn't listen. I wouldn't have listened no matter what, to be honest," Scarlett sighed. "I would have given him space for a little while, but eventually I would have tried to make him talk. I know from experience that sometimes company is the best thing. I couldn't let him sit up there thinking he had to be alone."

"Exactly," Sirius said. "You went up there after him. You were there to talk even when he thought he didn't want it. You knew it was the best thing for him and even if you didn't talk about his dad, you still talked. You helped him and I think he realizes that."

"Sirius-,"

"No, listen. I know it probably isn't my place to be making these kinds of observations and assumptions. Luckily, thanks to Harry, Fred has his real father around for that, but Fred must feel something for you if he let you keep him company after he already removed himself from the company of his siblings. And I think you helping him out brought you two that much closer."

"You heard what they just said before they left, though. They think of me as family."

"Fred didn't say that."

"He basically did."

"If you two made this vow, you don't see each other as family."

"We were nine! We didn't know anything back then!" Scarlett hesitated, then let out a sigh. "Although, Fred did say the same thing you just did the other night."

"Aha, see? He doesn't think of you as family."

"Sirius, maybe that's not how we used to think of each other, but now…things are different now."

"Maybe not so much," Sirius shrugged.

"So you're saying he does like me," Scarlett sighed.

Sirius shrugged again. "I told you what I think. Make of it what you will."

"I don't see why everyone believes Fred and I like each other and I don't understand why they're trying to convince me of it either. I think I'd know what I felt."

"Not always," Sirius said. "Things like this are complicated. Besides, I'm not saying you two do like each other and I'm not trying to convince you that you do. All I did was state a few facts and like I said, you should make of it what you will."

"Fred is dating Angelina. If he liked me, he would have broken up with her by now."

"Just because one person likes another," Sirius said, "doesn't mean they have to realize it right away. Besides, as I've said, this kind of stuff is complicated. Always has been."

"Sirius?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I a completely terrible human being for not telling Justin about the vow?"

"No," Sirius said, shaking his head. "You'll tell him when you feel ready. That's all that matters."

"Yes, but I can't just think solely of myself. I have to think about him and also Fred and Angelina and how unfair it would be if Justin knew, but Fred hadn't told Angelina, and-,"

"No," Sirius interrupted. "Don't worry about Fred and Angelina. Let Fred worry about himself and let him worry about Angelina. You worry about yourself and Justin. Tell him when you're ready and when you feel that he can handle it. Obviously don't be inconsiderate-,"

"That's the issue. I feel that every time is an inconsiderate time. And how much time can go by before it's considered absurd that I haven't gotten around to telling him?"

"Tell him when you feel ready," Sirius said.

"But it can't go on forever."

"No, you do have a time limit," Sirius said. "But what I'm saying is that you shouldn't let anybody make you feel terribly for how you choose to deal with this. They don't know what you're going through."

"Once I do tell Justin, his parents will find out and I doubt they'll be too happy," Scarlett said.

"They don't even know you, so don't let them get to you. Like I said, don't let _anyone_ get to you. Worry about you and do things how you see fit."

"Okay," Scarlett said, finishing up the last carrot. "Thanks for the advice, Sirius."

"Anytime," he grinned.

* * *

Just as Scarlett, her mother, and Sirius were arranging the last few dishes on the table, there was the sound of the front door opening and closing mixed with footsteps from up above.

"Sounds like they're back," Sirius grinned.

"Just in time," Scarlett sighed, stepping back to admire their handiwork. "Good job, team," she grinned.

Sirius held up both of his hands for high fives and Scarlett laughed as she slapped her hands against his.

Footsteps thundered down the kitchen stairs and the twins appeared in the doorway followed by Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny.

"It smells so good in here!" Ginny exclaimed.

"We literally just finished," Scarlett said. "Like I suspected, Sirius didn't help at all." She rolled her eyes and grinned.

"Hey, without me, you'd still be sitting at the counter peeling carrots," Sirius said.

"So," Fred said, coming to stand next to Scarlett and resting his arm on her shoulder, "I'm expecting to hear that you cooked that entire turkey by yourself. Since you weren't able to come visit my dad with us, I want to hear about all the hard work you put into this dinner."

"Oh, please," Scarlett smirked, "you're still going to bother me about not coming?"

"Mhm," Fred grinned.

"Well, then I'm afraid all I can tell you is that holding grudges is never healthy, Freddie." She stepped out from under the weight of his arm and headed over to the bottom of the stairs to greet Mr. Weasley who had just entered the room, Mrs. Weasley standing at his elbow.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, giving him a hug.

"Excellent," he said. "I was actually a bit disappointed that you didn't come to St. Mungo's today. I was really looking forward to asking you if you knew anything about stitches."

"I do," Scarlett answered. "Why?"

"Arthur was experimenting with that Muggle remedy," Mrs. Weasley sniffed. "They tried to use them to sew up his wound."

"It's nothing to worry about, Mrs. Weasley." Scarlett smiled slightly. "I had to get stitches. After the accident."

"Did you?" Mr. Weasley asked eagerly.

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley gasped.

"It's fine," Scarlett said. She pointed to a spot on the right of her chin where there was a barely noticeable, diagonal scar. "Right here. It was one of the deeper cuts. I went to a Muggle hospital after the accident so everything was fixed the Muggle way. Stitches are a very common healing method in the Muggle world. They're generally really safe and nothing to worry about."

"See? Nothing to worry about, Molly," Mr. Weasley said.

"Yes, but they didn't work on you anyway. The snake venom dissolved the stitches completely. Isn't that what the Healer said?"

"Yes," Mr. Weasley muttered.

"How about we sit down and eat before the food gets cold?" Mrs. Weasley suggested.

Everyone agreed and hurried to find a spot at the table. "I never noticed that scar before," Fred said as he sat down across from Scarlett.

"It's barely noticeable," Scarlett shrugged, "and it's faded over time. Usually it's only noticeable if you know it's there."

Fred smirked. "Scar has a scar."

"Good one," Scarlett replied, her voice full of sarcasm. She looked up and smirked. "Don't tell me you've lost your touch."

"Never," Fred answered.

"Good," Scarlett replied. "I wouldn't like that very much."

Fred laughed. "Neither would I."

By the time dinner was over, Scarlett was almost too full to eat another bite. "I can't eat any more," she declared, leaning back in her chair and pushing her plate away.

"Ah, what a pity," George said, from across the table, "because rumor has it that there's some amazing dessert around here somewhere."

"Yeah, I helped make it," Scarlett replied, rolling her eyes.

"No worries, though, Scar," Fred said. "If you're too full, George and I will gladly eat your share for you."

"Where do you even put it all?" Scarlett asked, looking at the twins with raised eyebrows.

Fred and George simply grinned and shrugged. "Don't know," George said.

"But we're glad we have the ability to devour delicious food," Fred continued.  
"And still look as dashing as we do," George finished.

Scarlett just rolled her eyes. Fred leaned over and stole some of her leftover food right off her dish, causing Scarlett to aim a playful kick at him under the table.

"You said you were done!"

"I am done," she giggled, "but that wasn't an invitation to steal my food. Manners, Freddie."

Fred made a face at her and Scarlett made one back before Fred laughed and looked away.

"At least they've started to get the old married couple thing down," Ron muttered. His remark was followed by both Fred and Scarlett's leftover potatoes coming into contact with his face.

* * *

**A/N: I hope everyone likes this chapter! Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review! I love hearing what people think :)**


	18. Chapter 18

"_Are you always this charming or am I just lucky?"_

**-Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)**

* * *

"For you," Fred said later that night, presenting Scarlett with a small box, messily wrapped in red paper with a ribbon around it.

"What's this?" she asked, looking up in surprise. She had been sitting in a corner of the living room, talking with Ginny and Hermione and tuning out Celestina Warbeck for the second night in a row, when Fred had come over.

"A gift," he answered, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I just thought—well, I thought you might like it."

Scarlett took the gift wrapped package from him and smiled. "Thanks. Actually, I got you something as well, but then I didn't know if we were doing the whole gift thing.…" She trailed off and looked down at the box in her hands.

Fred smirked. "I didn't know either, but I figured I'd take a chance."

Scarlett smiled and looked up at him, not sure what else to say.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ginny asked with a laugh. "Go get his gift and give it to him!"

"Right, of course," Scarlett said quickly. She jumped up, placing her gift on the couch before sharing a smile with Fred and slipping out of the room. She hurried upstairs, retrieved Fred's present, and returned a moment later. Fred had taken her spot on the couch and was talking to Ginny and Hermione while he waited. He looked up and smiled when he caught sight of Scarlett.

"Your gift," Scarlett said formally as she reached him, handing Fred his gift with a flourish and a smile.

"Are you going to curtsy, too?" Fred smirked, taking the present from Scarlett's outstretched hand.

"Only if you're planning on bowing," Scarlett retaliated.

Fred smirked wider and stood up, setting his gift down and picking up Scarlett's. He held it out to her, bowing dramatically. Scarlett giggled and took it from him.

"Thank you," she said, curtsying.

"My pleasure," Fred responded, standing up straight again. "Go ahead and open it."

Scarlett sat back down on the couch and pulled on the end of the ribbon as Fred sat beside her. "This isn't going to blow up in my face, is it?" she asked, pausing.

Fred shook his head. "I need to keep you safe. You die, I die, remember?" He half-smiled and nudged her with his knee.

"Right," Scarlett said, almost nervously. She untied the ribbon the rest of the way and ripped open the paper, which fell away to reveal a container full of Muggle joke and magic trick items. "Fred," she laughed.

"I'm guessing you know what they are and what they do," Fred said.

She nodded. "Itching powder, playing cards, a hand buzzer…." She let out a giggle. "Thanks, Fred."

"There's actually one more thing." Fred reached into his pocket and pulled out two fortune cookies. "Two more to add to your collection."

"Fred, I don't believe it! Where did you get these?"

"At a Chinese restaurant. Where do you think?"

"No, it's just that…I didn't know that you knew of any Chinese restaurants and I didn't think you normally ate Chinese food."

"I didn't on both accounts, but I'm willing to start eating it now that I've tried it. It's delicious. And I managed to locate a restaurant in a Muggle town with the help of Hermione."

Scarlett turned to look at Hermione, who shrugged. "He made me keep it a secret."

"Originally, she wasn't supposed to know," Fred said. "We're not supposed to leave the house as it is and naturally, Hermione was suspicious, so I had to tell her. She lectured me for a while, but I didn't listen-,"

"I didn't think you did," Hermione sighed.

Fred shrugged. "I had already decided to risk it. Anyway, I went to the restaurant a few days ago with George. When the fortune cookies came, I took both mine and George's and saved them for you."

"You didn't have to go through all that trouble," Scarlett said, shaking her head. "It's not safe to leave the house."

"Yeah, but really only to go wandering around for long periods of time. George and I went to _one_ restaurant for an hour or two and it was in a Muggle area. No Death Eaters in sight."

"They could have been in disguise."

"In a Chinese place?"

Scarlett sighed. "You still shouldn't have gone through all that trouble."

"What trouble?" Fred asked, laughing. "George and I got a delicious lunch and you got a Christmas present."

"I'm not worth it."

"I beg to differ."

"Fred-,"

"Just say thank you."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Fred said, leaning back into the couch.

"I don't get it," Ginny piped up. "You collect fortune cookies?"

"Just the fortunes inside of them," Scarlett answered. "I haven't collected any in a while, though."

"Why?" Ginny asked. "I mean, why do you collect them? Or, why did you, I should say."

"It's a long story, but basically my dad got me started," Scarlett answered. "We always wondered if fortune cookies had some truth to them."

"Well, now you can start collecting again," Fred said, gesturing to the cookies.

"Here," Scarlett grinned, tossing one back at him. "You open one. See what's in your future or what kind of advice a cookie has to offer."

Fred grinned as they both removed their cookies from the wrappings. "Together?" Fred asked, holding his cookie ready to snap in half.

"Together," Scarlett nodded. "One, two, three." At the same time, they both broke open the cookies and pulled out the tiny slips of paper inside of them.

"What does yours say? Read it out loud," Scarlett ordered excitedly, holding her fortune in her lap until it was her turn.

Fred cleared his throat dramatically and held up his fortune. "It is a perfect day to give your special someone a gift," he read, letting out a snort of laughter once he had finished. "Well, of course it is. It's Christmas."

"Well then, I'm hoping you did give that special someone a gift. And I'm guessing that special someone is Angelina," Scarlett laughed.

"Yes, I did and yes it is," Fred answered with a grin. "Sent it off this morning."

"What do you know?" Scarlett said quietly. "You already fulfilled your first fortune before you even opened it."

"Ahead of the game," Fred said. "How long have _you_ been waiting? Ten years, give or take a few?"

Scarlett lightly hit his shoulder. "I guess fortunes do have some truth to them," she said somewhat sadly. "Experiment over."

"No," Fred said, holding his fortune out to her. "This one's too vague. It could apply to anyone. You keep it.'

"All fortunes could apply to anyone, but the fun for me and my dad was seeing if it would hold any truth for us specifically. Yours wasn't fun because you had already done what it predicted. And you should keep it." She nudged his hand away. "Start a collection that's actually interesting."

"Rocks are interesting. These fortunes seem pretty silly to me. They're almost as bad at predicting the future as Trelawney is. Maybe even worse," Fred teased.

"They are not!"

"Okay, read yours then. Prove me wrong."

Scarlett gave him a pointed look and held up her fortune. "An unexpected event will soon bring you happiness," she read.

Fred snorted. "Again, vague."

"But oddly enough," Ginny chimed in, "it could apply to your life, Scar."

"It could apply to _anyone's_ life," Fred argued.

Ginny ignored her brother and kept talking. She looked excited. "I mean, the unexpected event could have been finding out that you have to marry Fred and it's going to end up making you happy. Good to know," she smirked. "And maybe Fred's fortune applies to you! He gave you a gift. Maybe your his special someone!"

"Ginny," Scarlett said quickly, turning pink, "Fred could be right. These may just as well be a load of rubbish. And they really could apply to anyone. It's just something I did for fun with my dad. I don't think-"

"You two are going to fall in love. I just know it," Ginny plowed on. If she had heard Scarlett's protest, she didn't show it.

"Ginny," Fred said forcefully.

"What?" she retaliated, sounding irritable.

"It's not going to happen."

"How can you say that?" Ginny huffed. "You don't know that. Just because you like Angelina now doesn't mean you can't fall for Scarlett. You do have to marry her! And since you know you have to, it couldn't hurt to _try_ to fall in love, or even try _dating _or something! That's why you were told when you were. So that you'd have the opportunity! And you're just _wasting_ it!"

"Ginny!" Fred spoke louder this time and Ginny spluttered to a stop while Scarlett stared down at her hands. She felt embarrassed and she couldn't stop thinking about how Ginny's words almost exactly mirrored Erica's.

"_What_?" Ginny asked angrily, crossing her arms.

"This isn't any of your business!" Fred said. "It's not your fight, it's not your problem, and it's not your business trying to meddle in things you don't understand!"

"I expect that's what Mum thinks every time you and George ask to join the Order," Ginny snapped.

"That's different. The war and the Order are my business because it affects me just as much as it affects everyone who's already in the Order."

"And you don't think _this_ affects _me_?" Ginny gestured to Fred and Scarlett. "I'd say it is my business that my brother's practically being forced into a marriage and he's not even making an effort to make the best of it and have a chance to be happy."

"All my chances of being happy went out the door the day I found out about this stupid vow," Fred responded furiously.

Scarlett winced at that. She knew that she and Fred didn't love each other, but _all_ of his chances at being happy were gone? Really?

Fred noticed Scarlett's expression and paused to look at her, lowering his voice as he spoke again. "Scar, I didn't—I didn't mean—." He reached out and tried to take Scarlett's hand, but she twitched it away.

"You did. You did mean it," Ginny interrupted, receiving a glare from Fred.

"I know you aren't in love with me, Fred," Scarlett whispered, "and I get that because I'm not in love with you either. But I know that we're friends and I was under the impression that we had both come to terms with this and that we were ultimately okay with marrying each other. I didn't know being around me made you so miserable and unhappy. I didn't know everything you said the other night was a lie." With that, she collected her fortune and her box of Muggle magic tricks and hurried out the door, ignoring the looks being sent her way from every occupant of the room.

* * *

Scarlett had been in her room for the past hour. Fred had tried to come upstairs and talk to her, knocking on the door for at least five minutes until he had finally gone away. Scarlett hadn't wanted to talk to him. She felt embarrassed, confused and hurt. Perhaps she was being somewhat silly, but she needed time alone to get her thoughts together. It wasn't helping that she had decided to look for a way to get out of the vow even though she knew she couldn't. And even if she could, she certainly wouldn't find the answer in her school textbooks. The information they did have on the vow didn't really go into detail.

"It's no use," she finally sighed, flopping back onto her pillows. It was then that she heard another sound at the door. She paused. It was probably Fred again and it was also probably time she talked to him about what had happened and perhaps apologize for behaving so moodily. Sighing, she pushed herself off of the bed and headed for the door. When she opened it, she found herself blinking in confusion. No one was there.

"Hello?" she called. Her call was met by a muffled squeaking sound down by her feet. Looking down, she saw Binky, bouncing up and down, a rolled up piece of paper in his mouth.

Smiling, Scarlett bent down and took the paper from Binky. "What's this?" she cooed. "Huh? What did you bring me?" She reached out and patted the pygmy puff's head. Binky seized the opportunity to squeak happily and scurry up Scarlett's arm, coming to rest on her shoulder. Scarlett stood and unrolled the note in her hand while Binky sniffed at her earlobe.

_Once upon a time, there was a lovely girl named Scarlett,_ the note began. Scarlett smiled faintly and leaned up against the doorframe as she continued to read. _Scarlett was extremely fun to be around and knew some amazing stories to boot. She had to get married to a noble prince with dashing good looks named Fred. Neither of them was exactly thrilled about the situation because they were just friends. Besides, the handsome Prince Fred was dating the fair maiden Angelina Johnson, and Scarlett was dating Sir Finch, but all the same, Scarlett and Fred were friends and got along well. Until one day, the prince led Scarlett to believe he was miserable around her, which wasn't the case at all. After all, he did tell her that if he was going to be forced into a marriage, he was glad it was with her. And that was true. The prince offered his deepest apologies, Scarlett accepted, and they (hopefully) lived happily ever after as married friends. They even adopted the Finch to be their messenger bird. Not quite as efficient as an owl, but close enough. The end._

Scarlett didn't know whether to laugh or groan as she finished the note. Eventually, she decided to do both.

"So, how was it?" A voice sounded to Scarlett's left. She turned to see Fred standing in a doorway down the hall, leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets. He had clearly been hiding to watch Scarlett's reaction to the note. "Do you think it's good enough to be put into a book someday?"

Scarlett smiled. "I don't know. I can see a few issues."

"Such as?" Fred prompted, raising an eyebrow and coming to look at the note over Scarlett's shoulder.

She held the note up as she looked over her shoulder at him. "We hired Justin as our _messenger bird_?"

Fred chuckled. "What? I thought it would be a nice touch to have a talking pet."

"Justin is a real person. You know, with _real _feelings."

"I know that. You don't see me calling him names to his face, do you? And Hermione will fail all her OWLs before you show that note to Justin. So really, he'll never know and his feelings never get hurt."

Scarlett half-smiled and pocketed the note. "Well, I do have to say that this was a thoughtful apology, even if it does have its issues."

Fred smirked. "I know. I'm just so clever, aren't I?"

"And so modest, too, isn't that right?" Scarlett teased, raising her eyebrows.

"Not to mention handsome and charming."

"Of course. Are you always like that?"

"I have to be. I am a prince aren't I?" He gestured to the note in Scarlett's pocket.

"That's a shame. I thought I was just lucky and special."

"No, not really," Fred retaliated.

"Gee, thanks," Scarlett said with a laugh as she absentmindedly reached up to pet Binky. "I tried finding a way to get us out of having to make the vow," she said after a moment.

"That's what you were doing?" Fred asked in surprise. "You wasted your time. There is no way."

"I know that. I knew it when I started looking for answers, but I wanted to look anyway." She began playing with the ends of her hair. After a few seconds, she looked up at Fred agin. "The last thing I want to do is be the reason you end up unhappy," she whispered.

"You aren't going to be," Fred replied quietly, shaking his head.

"But you said-"

"I know what I said. I just meant that this situation is nowhere near ideal for us. It's difficult. I didn't say I couldn't or wouldn't be happy with you—"

"You said all your chances of being happy were gone."

"Not all of them," Fred said. "I just—I spoke without thinking. Like I said, our situation is difficult for us. We're working through it. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"It doesn't really matter. I was being stupid." Scarlett dismissed his words with a laugh and a shake of her head.

"No, it was a perfectly legitimate reason to get offended."

Scarlett didn't answer. Instead, she shrugged one shoulder and looked down at the floor.

"Scar?" Fred asked quietly.

"Hm?" She looked up at him again.

"By no means was anything I said the other night a lie. I meant every single word."

A soft smile turned up the corners of Scarlett's mouth. "Me too," she nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too, for storming out and refusing to answer the door when you knocked earlier."

"At least you got out of Celestina's last few songs," Fred smirked.

"Shame," Scarlett shrugged, smirking.

"As for you not answering the door, I was pretty offended," he continued, mock-seriously. "And then to discover that you _did_ open the door for Binks, here." He scratched Binky's tiny head and the pygmy puff made a purring sound.

"In my defense, I thought it was you," Scarlett answered, turning her head and smiling at Binky.

Fred grinned. "I opened your gift, by the way."

"Oh," Scarlett blinked. She had completely forgotten that Fred had never gotten the chance to open his gift earlier.

"It's incredible. Where'd you get it?"

"It's just a doodle pad for your invention sketches." Scarlett shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah, but George and I are always running out of sketch pads, so it's a very useful gift, and it has our initials on the cover, and it only opens when it recognizes my fingerprints or George's…. I—well, I appreciate it. Thanks."

Scarlett smiled. "You're welcome. Oh, and I actually have something else for you. It came in by owl-order this morning. Very last minute, really, but to be fair, I did _order_ it last minute. I couldn't decide whether or not to get it, but in the end—,"

"Scar, stop babbling and give it to me already."

"Someone sure is greedy," Scarlett muttered, smirking.

"I'm sorry. I mean," Fred paused and cleared his throat dramatically, "another gift? Scarlett, you're way too good to me. I don't deserve you."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and went over to her trunk. Fred followed her into the room and stood behind her as she pulled out a book. "Here, it's not wrapped, but like I said, it was all very last minute."

Fred took the book from Scarlett and broke into a massive grin. "Peter Pan? Really? My very own copy?"

"Your very own. I got the idea the other night when you asked me to tell you the story on the roof, so I ordered it and managed to get an expedited delivery. It cost a little extra, but it was worth it."

"Scar, you don't have to go crazy buying me gifts. I know money's almost as tight for you as it is for us and-,"

"Like I said, it was worth it," Scarlett interrupted. She gestured to the book. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, this is great, actually. It's one book I might actually read, although I do still like it better when you tell it to me."

"Of course you do. Hey, at least it'll bring the book count on your bookshelf up to a total of one. Your mother will be pleased."

"Hardly, when she finds out the one book is a Muggle _children's_ tale. Not suitable for adults."

"I beg to differ, and besides, what your mother doesn't know won't hurt her," Scarlett smirked.

"Scarlett, I believe George and I have tarnished you."

"You didn't do anything. Maybe I've always been tarnished."

"You'd like to think so," Fred said with a wink, "but I know the truth. It was all my and George's doing." He headed for the door.

"Big head," Scarlett called after him.

"More for you to look at," Fred replied, turning at the doorway and grinning back at her before disappearing from view.

"That's the problem," Scarlett called after him. It was then she realized that Binky was still on her shoulder. "Fred." She stuck her head out into the hallway. "You forgot Binky."

"Keep him for the night," Fred smirked. "It can be your turn to watch him."

"We aren't married yet, Fred. As much as I love him, we don't share custody of your pygmy puff."

"Yeah, but one day we will be married and you'll have to become accustomed to the little tyke's snores, so go, enjoy yourself."

"Little tyke? You act like he's a real child."

"Shh, you'll hurt his feelings," Fred hissed, walking back towards Scarlett and bending down slightly until he was level with Scarlett's shoulder and looking at Binky. "Binky can be whatever he wants to be." He scratched one of Binky's tiny ears before glancing up at Scarlett. "We did briefly discuss the children issue previously, did we not?"

"Are you saying your _pygmy puff_ can serve as our child?"

"I'm just tossing out options."

"So, let me get this straight. You want to have a real human being as our messenger bird, and a pygmy puff serving as a child."

"Sounds about right," Fred grinned.

"Your pygmy puff will serve as a pet, Fred."

"Oi, I've just said you're going to hurt his feelings," Fred answered.

"Fred." Scarlett put her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look.

"Thanks for the book," Fred laughed, waving the book at her as he turned and walked away.

"Yeah, yeah," Scarlett muttered, heading back into her room. She set Binky down on the nightstand as she changed into her pajamas. "Don't worry, Binky," she said as she pulled back the covers of her bed and climbed in. "I'm sure you don't snore. Fred's just trying to blame his faults on you." She kissed Binky's head and he purred. Scarlett smiled and turned out the light, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

**A/N: I hope everyone likes this chapter. It's another one of my favorites so far and I hope everyone else enjoys it as well! **

**Thank you so much for all the reviews so far! It's good to know that people are enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it!**

**Happy Holidays! :)**


	19. Chapter 19

_"You're mad, bonkers, off your head. But I'll tell you a secret; all the best people are."_

**-Alice (Alice in Wonderland)**

* * *

As it turned out, Binky did snore. Well, it was more of a whistling sound, but it was snoring none the less. It wouldn't have been a problem for Scarlett seeing as she had originally fallen asleep before Binky's snores started up, but then Ginny and Hermione had come into the room to go to bed. Ginny, annoyed at being unable to fall asleep, had tossed a pillow at Scarlett.

"Can't you go return him to Fred?" she asked.

"What?" Scarlett mumbled sleepily, raising her head off of her arms. She had been sleeping on her stomach with her head buried into the crook of her elbow.

Ginny pointed to Binky while Hermione covered her head with her pillow to block out the whistling sound.

"I can't bring him back. Fred insisted that I 'babysit'. Besides, the snoring's not that bad."

"No, I suppose not," Ginny said. "It's better than Fred's anyway. Good luck dealing with that once you're married."

Scarlett groaned and pressed her forehead into her arms. "Please tell me you're exaggerating."

Ginny smiled. "Maybe a little. It's actually Ron you have to watch out for."

"Well, I don't see myself ever sharing a room with Ron, thankfully," Scarlett answered. She raised her head and steared at Ginny blearily.

"Ugh," Ginny groaned as Binky let out another whistle, "he sounds like a tea kettle."

"Fred warned me that he snored," Scarlett said, rolling over, sitting up, and leaning back on her hands as she gestured to Binky. "I didn't really believe it, though. I thought Fred was just messing with me."

"He was pretty upset earlier after you ran out of the room," Ginny said, propping herself up on her elbow, apparently giving up on sleeping for now.

"We talked it over. Everything's okay now," Scarlett shrugged.

Ginny just smirked at her. "That's not what I was getting at."

"Then what _were_ you—oh." Scarlett shook her head and blushed. "No, just because he was upset about insulting me doesn't mean that he _likes _me. You've got it all wrong, Ginny."

"Do I?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Scarlett answered defiantly.

"He likes you," Ginny insisted.

"Please, Ginny, not this again."

"He doesn't realize it either, of course," Ginny plowed on, ignoring Scarlett's protests, "but-,"

"Ginny, I'm serious." Scarlett flopped back down on her bed and pressed her pillow over her face.

"Why can't you see it? The way he looks at you…it changed slightly."

"Since when?" Scarlett gave Ginny a confused look from under her pillow, instantly thinking of what Sirius had said earlier. "And changed how?"

"I don't know exactly," Ginny said, tapping her chin. "On both accounts. But it definitely changed since the summer. I'm pretty sure it was very recent, though. And like I said, it was only slightly. Maybe that's why you didn't pick up on it…."

"You've been reading too many magazines," Scarlett groaned, removing the pillow from her face. "You've gone completely mad. Bonkers, even."

"Of course, you're probably too stubborn to just believe me. You'll have to figure it out on your own..."

"Ginny," Scarlett said, "I know what you want to happen, but Fred and I will be just fine if things don't go in that direction."

There was a pause. "Look," Ginny said finally, "I like Angelina, I really do, but it's pointless for Fred to be dating her when he's only going to end up with you in a few years anyway. I only want him to be happy."

"I understand, but I also understand where Fred's coming from. He's happier with Angelina and I'm happier with Justin. If there's going to be a change, I don't think anyone can force it to happen. And if Fred liked me, I would know. Erica, my best friend, says almost the same things you do. Maybe people just want me and Fred to fall in love so it'll be all neat and happy and…fairy tale like. And the thing is, I'm not sure if those fairy tales are real."

Ginny looked as if she deflated a little.

"Look, I'm sorry if I upset you, but Fred and I will be happy together. Not thrilled, but we'll manage. We won't be ready to kill each other every day. At least, I hope not."

Ginny smiled a tiny smile and glanced over at Hermione's bed. "I don't believe it. She managed to fall asleep."

"We should probably attempt sleeping, too," Scarlett sighed, yawning.

"At least you got about twenty minutes in earlier," Ginny grumbled.

"Yeah, before you came and woke me up," Scarlett giggled.

Ginny grinned and snuggled under her covers. Scarlett did the same and there was a moment of complete silence. Scarlett held her breath, hoping that it meant Binky had stopped snoring, but apparently luck wasn't on her side. A loud whistle sounded throughout the room. If Scarlett hadn't been there to witness it, she wouldn't have believed the noise came from such a small creature.

"Tea's ready," Ginny mumbled, turning over onto her stomach. Scarlett let out a dry laugh and pulled the blankets almost all the way over her head. Fred was definitely going to be rooming with Binky from now on. At least until they got married. Then, it looked like Scarlett would have to invest in some earplugs.

* * *

"Oh, good, you're already back."

Scarlett turned from her spot on the Hufflepuff common room couch to see Justin entering the room. She grinned and hopped out of her seat before tossing the book she was reading onto the table and running to hug her boyfriend. "Hey," she said happily. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," he answered. He glanced around the room. "Where's Erica?"

"She should be here soon. Why, did you miss her, too?"

Justin smirked and nodded. "Way more than I missed you, actually."

Scarlett swatted him and returned to the couch, flopping down onto the black leather cushions. "So, how was your holiday?"

Justin sat down next to her and shrugged. "It was alright, but it would've been so much better with you there." He paused. "Erica gave me your note."

Scarlett bit her lip and looked down at her hands. "Are you mad?" she whispered.

Justin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "No, I'm not mad. I thought a lot during the holiday about this whole Fred issue and I decided that how I feel about Fred is my business. You shouldn't feel guilty for having to spend the holidays with him. Besides, you didn't really have a choice."

Scarlett looked over at him. "Fred and I _are_ pretty good friends. I like being around him and I'm not going to dislike him because you do," she said honestly. "I just want you to understand that."

Justin nodded. "I think you hanging around him is something I'll just have to get used to. I'll certainly try, like I said."

"Thanks," Scarlett answered with a smile.

"But I want you to know that the way I feel about him is something I can't always help. It's just—it's just there and it comes out sometimes even though I hate it. It's childish."

Scarlett smiled. "At least you can admit you have a problem. It's the first step to recovery."

Justin let out a breath of laughter and rolled his eyes. "Hey, I have something for you," he said after a pause. He began rummaging in his trunk, which he had placed at the end of the couch when he had come in. "I want to give it to you before Erica comes back and steals you away to catch up on all the talking you missed out on in two weeks." He rolled his eyes and grinned.

"Justin, you already sent me a Christmas gift, which I love by the way." Scarlett smiled as she remembered opening the picture frame that changed pictures every few minutes so that a new one was showing. It was filled with bunches of pictures of Scarlett. Scarlett and her parents before her father died, Scarlett with her mother, Scarlett and Erica, and even Scarlett with Justin. "Where'd you get all those photos?"

"I had a few," Justin admitted, "and for the rest I wrote to your mum and Erica." He pulled a box out of his trunk and handed it to her excitedly. "I wanted to wait until I saw you again to give you this part of your Christmas gift, though. I wanted to see your face when you opened it."

Scarlett smiled and took the box from him. "What is it?"

"I can't _tell_ you," Justin laughed. "That would ruin it."

"Fine," Scarlett mock-pouted. She carefully unwrapped the box and opened it to reveal a glittering bracelet made up of a crisscross pattern with an emerald in each rounded opening.

"Do you like it?" Justin asked. "I remember reading that emeralds were the birthstone for the month of May, so I thought this would be perfect for you."

"It's gorgeous!" Scarlett gasped, holding the bracelet up so that it sparkled in the firelight. "This must have cost a fortune, though!"

Justin shrugged and grinned. "You're definitely worth it. Go ahead, put it on."

Scarlett fastened the bracelet around her wrist and held her hand up so that Justin could admire the shiny piece of jewelry. "How does it look?"

"Even better than it did in the box," Justin smirked.

"I don't think that's possible," Scarlett laughed, looking down as she felt herself blush.

"Trust me, it is," Justin answered.

"Thank you so much," Scarlett whispered, turning the bracelet around on her wrist. "I love it. You really didn't have to do this."

"But I did," Justin said stubbornly. "And there's nothing you can do about it." He smirked and folded his arms.

Scarlett smiled and slid closer to him. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. "I missed you."

"You said that already," Scarlett pointed out with a smirk.

"Did I?" he laughed.

"Mhm," she nodded.

"Well, I thought I should say it again, because it's true."

"I missed you, too," she whispered, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

* * *

"Now what I would like to know," Fred said the next day in Herbology, "is why a typical Hufflepuff such as yourself would wear a bracelet consisting of Slytherin colors."

Scarlett glared up at him. She had just taken off her bracelet and slipped it into her bag in order to keep it clean when Fred had commented on it. "It's my birthstone," she told him. "It has nothing to do with Slytherin."

"Why are you wearing it?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I just mean that it looks pretty fancy. Like something you'd wear out to someplace nice, not during your Herbology class. Or to any class for that matter."

"Well, I suppose, but it's pretty and I wanted to show Justin that I really like it and appreciate it."

"The Finch got that for you?" Fred let out an impressed whistle. "Must've cost him an arm and a leg."

"I've heard his family's pretty well off," George said, shaking his head. "Both of his parents work in high-paying Muggle jobs. Doctors, I believe."

"The Muggle equivalent of a Healer," Scarlett nodded.

"How did you know that?" Fred asked, sounding taken aback.

"Justin told me," Scarlett replied slowly, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"No, I meant how did George know all that about the Finch's parents?"

George shrugged. "Just from people talking."

Fred was silent as he stared into the dirt-filled pot in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Scarlett asked. "Did you want a birthstone bracelet as well?" She nudged Fred jokingly, but he didn't even smile.

He shook his head. When he spoke his voice was hardly above a whisper. "It's just, well, I—never mind. Forget it. It's stupid."

"No, tell me," Scarlett said gently. Fred rapidly shook his head.

"It's nothing."

"Will you tell me later?"

"Doubt it," he said, "it's not important."

Scarlett was silent. She was taken aback by Fred's sudden strange mood, and she found she didn't know what else to say. "I just thought you'd want to tell me. Are you sure you're okay? If you want to talk alone-,"

"I have George for that," Fred interrupted.

"Okay, sorry," Scarlett whispered. She felt guilty and she didn't exactly know why. She didn't want to pressure Fred, but she wanted to know what it was that had suddenly made him so upset. Despite the long gap of time where they hadn't talked, she still considered him a friend and she cared about him.

"I'm fine, really," Fred continued. "It was nothing. I didn't mean to snap at you." He smiled at her as if to prove his point.

Scarlett nodded, but she found that she didn't believe Fred for a second.

* * *

"What was that for?" George glanced at Scarlett somewhat irritably as he bent to pick up the books she had knocked out of his hands.

"Sorry, George, I'll help you with those." Scarlett knelt down beside him and began helping him collect his things. Professor Sprout had just dismissed the class and Scarlett was executing the plan she had spent the remainder of class formulating. That plan was to talk to George about Fred, but in order to do that, she needed to get George alone. "I need to talk to you. Alone," she hissed.

"Okay," he answered slowly. "Is this about-,"

"Fred, yes," she whispered, handing him the last of his books and standing up. She glanced at Fred, to make sure he was still packing up. When she saw that he was, she turned to Erica. "Distract Fred. Walk ahead of us with him so that I can talk to George."

"What do I even say?" Erica muttered.

"I don't know. Start chewing his ear off about the last book you read."

"He'll get bored."

"Good point. Start asking him about Quidditch. Or pranks. Or even his pygmy puff, Binky. Just go do it. Please?"

"Fine, but you owe me," Erica teased as she made her way over to Fred and started talking to him. Which topic she had picked, Scarlett didn't know, because she had immediately turned to George.

"So, what _really_ got Fred all upset earlier?" she asked as they left the greenhouses and made their way up to the castle. She made sure to keep her voice low so that Fred wouldn't hear.

"You certainly get straight to the point," George observed, raising his eyebrows.

Scarlett shrugged. "Something I've learned is necessary on certain occasions."

"Why is it necessary this time?"

"Because I need to know what's bothering Fred."

"Why?"

"Because he's my friend and I care about him and I just—why are you so curious anyway? Can't you just tell me or do you not even know?"

George sighed and looked at Fred and Erica walking a few feet ahead. Fred was waving his hands wildly while Erica looked only partially interested. The remainder of her attention was probably going towards avoiding Fred's arms.

"Well," George began, not breaking his gaze from Fred, "the bracelet Justin bought you _is_ really nice and expensive, too. I just think he doesn't like that he—our whole family, really—never had that kind of money to spend. He can't afford gifts like that bracelet."

"I'm sure Angelina doesn't mind," Scarlett answered. "I mean, it really is the thought that counts and I never pegged her as someone who's incredibly materialistic."

"She's not, but it bothers Fred anyway. It would bother me, too, actually. Anyway, I don't think he's _only_ worried about Angelina."

"Who else would he be worried about?"

"You, of course."

"Me? Why me?"

"Eventually you're going to be his wife and no matter how either of you feels about the entire situation, the truth of the matter is that he's going to have to provide for you. He'd hate himself if he couldn't, no matter who his wife was. I can completely understand. Like I said, I'd feel the same way."

Scarlett frowned slightly. That was oddly sweet and so incredibly Fred and George. It kind of made her sad to think about it. "But you two want to open a joke shop, don't you? You're almost there, too, from what I understand."

"Yeah, but there's no guarantee that it'll make us a lot of money, or even an average amount of money. It might completely flop for all we know."

Scarlett snorted. "Yeah, I don't believe that for a second."

"You don't," George repeated, looking at her amusedly.

Scarlett shook her head. "I haven't seen all of your inventions, but the Extendable Ears are incredible and breeding the pygmy puffs to sell was a great idea. And you could even sell Muggle magic tricks like the ones Fred gave me. Loads of people would buy them. People familiar with them would know how to use them and people from all wizard families would find them fascinating. I just—sorry." Scarlett stopped abruptly and blushed. "I don't want to tell you how to run your business."

"No, I think you're on to something," George said, sounding impressed. "We never thought of selling the Muggle tricks. We just liked them. I'll have to mention it to Fred."

"Make sure you give credit to the person who gave you the idea," Scarlett smirked.

"Of course," George said with a slight bow.

Scarlett smiled. "So back on the topic of Fred," she said slowly.

"He'll be over it soon enough. It wasn't something you did, so don't worry about it."

"How are things going with him and Angelina?"

"Fine," George said with a smile and a slight shrug. "They seem to be really happy. What about things between you and Justin?"

"We're doing very well," Scarlett said. She paused. "You called him Justin."

George didn't answer for a moment. "Yeah, I suppose I did, but if you remember correctly, I never called him any bird-related names in the first place."

"That's true, I'll give you that," Scarlett nodded.

"Don't tell Fred, though. He'll be disappointed that I didn't use the opportunity."

Scarlett giggled. "Alright, sounds good. By the way, why is it that Fred does make such a point to tease Justin?"

George looked as if he were debating whether or not to answer her. "I think you should ask Fred that question."

"I have! He won't tell me."

"Ask him in a few years once you're a lawfully wedded couple."

"Will he answer me then?"

"Perhaps."

Scarlett gave George a playful shove. "So vague."

"Just like those fortune cookies of yours."

"Scarlett groaned. "Maybe those are silly, but I like them, so hush."

"You did not just tell me to hush," George laughed.

"I did," she answered smugly.

George just grinned.

"What are you grinning at?" she giggled.

"Nothing, it's just…you haven't changed that much. You're still the same girl Fred and I loved to be around as kids."

Scarlett smiled. "Good to know I still act like a nine year old."

"You know that's not exactly what I meant," George said. "It's a good thing, anyway. Fred and I really liked you when we were kids. We were both pretty upset when you moved. You were a good person then and you're a good person now."

"Good in general or good for Fred?" Scarlett asked.

George smiled. "Both," he answered honestly.

"I figured that's what you'd say," she muttered. "Please don't go all matchmaker on me. Ginny and Erica are already doing that."

"Don't worry," George said. "I'm not trying to make you and Fred have any feelings that neither of you have. I just think…well, speaking as his brother…I know you'll be good to him."

Scarlett looked at George and smiled softly. "Of course I will." She paused, unsure if she should say what else was on her mind.

"You look like you still have something else to say," George smirked.

Scarlett glanced up at him. "I know you said Fred and Angelina are doing great, but have you…well, do you think…."

"Just spit it out, Scar," George laughed.

"Ginny said Fred looks at me differently," Scarlett said quickly. "She said it's only a slight difference and she also said she thinks Fred and I like each other, but doesn't realize it. I just wanted to know if that's total rubbish or not."

"How should I know?"

"You're his twin."

"Yeah, and I'm not studying the way he looks at you. Besides, if Fred himself doesn't realize he likes you, how would I?"

"Yeah, it's stupid," Scarlett said. "I keep telling Ginny to stop saying all that stuff, but she won't. I think she just really wants us to love each other."

"You know her," George shrugged. "She loves happy endings."

"Most people do, I expect."

George nodded. "True. Look, I haven't noticed anything different in Fred. I mean, he talks about you a lot and he likes being around you, but then again, he always has."

"He talks about me a lot?"

"Well, specifically the night we found out about dad getting attacked. He went on about how easy you were to talk to and something about debating…."

Scarlett smiled. "Yeah, we had a huge discussion about whether or not we'd want to stay little kids forever."

"Well, you really helped him. I think it took his mind off of things for a bit."

Scarlett nodded. "That's what Sirius said on Christmas when you were all at St. Mungo's."

"It's true. For some reason, he didn't even want to talk to me. But he talked to you."

Scarlett shrugged. "I could sort of relate, you know, to what he was feeling—to what all of you were feeling. I never really talked to anyone about how I was feeling, but sometimes talking helps. And not even about the actual situation, but just about _anything_. I didn't plan for that discussion to start, but it certainly did seem to help Fred."

"It did," George replied with a small smile.

"So you really think he'll be okay about this eventually?"

"Like I said," George shrugged, "he'll be over it soon enough. Fred never stays upset for long. He's one of those people whose anger or sadness occurs in the moment but fades away fairly quickly."

Scarlett nodded. "I wish I could be like that. Not that I stay angry for long periods of time or anything, but you and Fred...you're just so good at letting things go and not letting anything bother you for too long. I'm not always like that."

"Like with the accident?" George guessed hesitantly, his voice a whisper.

Scarlett nodded. "Exactly."

"Well that's a big thing to experience," George said reasonably. "Nobody could expect you to let that go easily, or even at all."

"I think I'm learning to, though. Somewhat, at least. I am talking about it more."

"To Fred," George smirked.

"Yeah," Scarlett sighed. "To Fred."

"I think that's how _he's_ actually helping _you_," George smiled.

Scarlett smiled. "I know. Now I really regret not rekindling this friendship sooner. I could have had the answer to all my problems so much earlier." She nudged George jokingly.

He laughed. "I think you and Fred are going to be just fine, Scar, so I'd stop worrying if I were you."

Scarlett nodded. "That's easier said than done, though."

George shrugged. "Maybe...but it's not impossible."

* * *

**A/N: I hope everyone liked the chapter and I hope the conversation between George and Scarlett at the end wasn't too odd/awkward. I really wanted them to have some sort of talk, but I had to rewrite it so many times until I was satisfied.**

**I hope everyone had a happy and safe new year! Thanks so much for reading and don't forget to leave a review! **


	20. Chapter 20

_"We better keep an eye on this one. She's tricky."_

**-Michael (Mary Poppins)**

* * *

Being back at school was nowhere near as fun as it usually was. Umbridge was still making new decrees as fast as her pudgy hand could scribble them down. The word around Hogwarts was that six students leaving early for the Christmas holidays had made her furious, but to Scarlett's relief, nobody received a detention for it. She had the feeling that this was Dumbledore's doing and she was grateful.

The D.A. was one of the only things preventing Scarlett from completely losing her mind now that she was back under Umbridge's watchful eyes. The first meeting after the holidays was coming up and Harry had promised they'd be learning how to do Patronus Charms. This was what many members of the D.A. had been looking forward to the most.

"What do you think your Patronus will be?" Justin asked as they walked to the Room of Requirement, hand in hand.

"I have no idea," Scarlett admitted, shrugging. "I'm anxious to find out, but I might not even be able to do one. They're pretty advanced."

"If Harry could learn, I don't see why we can't," Justin pointed out. "Harry's a really great teacher, so I'm sure we'll be able to learn in no time."

"True," Scarlett shrugged. She looked at Erica. "What do you think yours will be?"

Erica shrugged. "Something cool, hopefully."

"Yeah, same," Scarlett agreed. "They reached the Room of Requirement and slipped through the door. They were some of the last to arrive so it wasn't long before Harry began the meeting and got them started on their patronus charms.

"Think of the happiest memory you can," he instructed, walking around to survey their work.

"You try first," Scarlett said, turning to Justin.

Justin nodded and closed his eyes, holding his wand up. He stood like that, motionless, for what seemed like forever.

"Justin?" Scarlett asked, laughing. "Are you going to _do_ anything?"

Justin opened his eyes. "I was concentrating really hard on my memory," he said.

"Or he's constipated," a voice whispered in Scarlett's ear.

Scarlett turned to see Fred and George standing beside her. Fred, clearly the one who had spoken, was smirking at her.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Go back to practicing and be sure not to strain yourself too hard thinking of a memory. You might come across as _constipated_."

Fred smiled. "Good one, Scar. Real original." He patted her on the shoulder and walked away.

Scarlett sighed and turned back to Justin. "Try again," she said, "but maybe you should hurry it along this time. Merlin knows Fred will have more jokes up his sleeve if you don't."

"What'd he say to you just now?" Justin asked.

"Forget it," Scarlett shook her head. "Just try again."

Justin glanced at Fred and George. "Fine." He closed his eyes and concentrated again, but for a considerably less amount of time. "Expecto Patronum!" A thin vapor escaped from his wand.

"Wow, a _fog_ patronus! Fascinating!"

"Piss off, Weasley," Justin scowled, glaring over Scarlett's shoulder at Fred. "What's your problem?"

"Yeah, really," Scarlett added, folding her arms as she looked over at a smirking Fred. She glanced at George. "George, control your brother, please."

"Don't bring George into this," Fred said, his tone teasing.

"Well, then stop being so rude," she demanded. She glanced at Justin, then back at Fred. "I don't exactly know why you two seem to not like each other-,"

"You know why _I_ don't like him," Justin scoffed.

"Fine. Fred, I don't know why you keep teasing Justin, but-,"

"It's fun to see both of you get so defensive," Fred answered.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Just go back to practicing," she said, turning back to Justin.

"Bloody hell," Scarlett heard Fred whisper a few minutes later. "This shouldn't be so difficult."

"You've only been at it for five minutes," George said, trying to conjure his own patronus to no avail.

"Still," Fred muttered. "It's frustrating."

Scarlett smirked at the conversation. She wasn't going to let this opportunity to tease Fred pass by. "Ooh, an _invisible_ patronus! Brilliant!"

Fred turned around. He looked amused that Scarlett was teasing him. "Ah, George, look at this. Scarlett thinks she's quite the jokester." He turned back to Scarlett. "You should know it's not funny when you reuse jokes like that, Scar. That's twice in, what, fifteen minutes?"

"It still doesn't change the fact that your patronus is non-existent."

"Invisible," Fred argued, slightly irritated. "Didn't you just say so?"

Scarlett shrugged. "I guess I did," she smirked. She was enjoying herself and Fred knew it.

"Watch it, Callaway," Fred muttered.

"Leave her alone," Justin said.

"It's okay," Scarlett giggled. "Fred knows I'm just teasing him."

"Yeah, stop being so uptight," Fred smirked.

Justin scowled.

"Let's see you cast a Patronus, then, Scarlett," Fred said. "You haven't gotten a chance yet. Maybe we can all have a laugh at your expense, now."

Scarlett sent him a look, but Fred just folded his arms and laughed, waiting for her to cast the charm.

She sighed and held up her wand. "Expecto Patronum!"

To everyone's surprise, silvery mist shot out of Scarlett's wand, forming into the shape of a dog—a bloodhound to be exact. She hadn't been the first of the entire D.A. to successfully cast one, but she obviously wasn't the last, either. Scarlett's eyes widened in excitement as the dog circled her happily. It didn't get very far, though. Scarlett was so surprised that she lost concentration and the dog faded.

"How did you do that?" Fred asked incredulously as everyone returned to their own business.

Scarlett shook her head, feeling somewhat dazed. "I don't know."

"What was your memory?" Justin asked.

"It was one of the days I spent with my dad when I was little. It was just the two of us…." She trailed off and smiled, twirling her wand between her fingers as she thought. "Actually, it was the day I started collecting the fortunes from fortune cookies."

"You collect those?" Justin asked.

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, sort of."

"She didn't tell you?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but—wait, _you_ know?"

"From when we were younger," Fred said quickly, glancing at Scarlett.

She narrowed her eyes at him. That was strange. Normally, Fred would have told Justin about the conversation he had had with Scarlett by the lake just to make him angry. He also would have thought it funny that he knew something about Scarlett that Justin didn't and would have loved making a comment about it. It _was_ possible that Fred knew Scarlett didn't want to say anything about the night at the lake and was respecting her wishes, but not at least giving Justin a hard time for not knowing about Scarlett's collection was enough to raise Scarlett's suspicions.

"You should have said something," Justin told Scarlett. "I've thrown away plenty of fortunes over the years. I could have saved some for you."

Scarlett shrugged and tore her eyes away from Fred to look at Justin. "I mainly collected my own. For an experiment between me and my dad. To see if the fortunes would come true. I don't really collect them anymore. Well, I haven't in a while." She glanced at Fred to see him smirking at her again.

"Oh. Well collecting them is fine," Justin said, "but you do know they're a load of rubbish, don't you?"

Scarlett blushed and looked down at her feet. Maybe she did know that deep down, but she still had found it fun to wonder about the words printed up on those little tiny slips of paper.

"Oi," Fred said. He sounded like he was trying not to sound snappish. "If Scarlett likes to do it, then why shouldn't she?" he asked. "It means something to her."

"Of course, by all means she should do it if she likes to, but it's true: they _are_ a load of rubbish."

"So what if they are?" Fred asked, shrugging.

"I-," Justin began, but he never got a chance to finish because Harry was ending the meeting.

As they were gathering their things, Fred walked by Scarlett to grab his bag which was just past hers. "Want to prank Umbridge with me and George?" he whispered in her ear as she picked up her bag.

"When?" she asked, turning to look at him. Justin and Erica were already waiting for her a few feet away.

Fred glanced at his watch. "Oh, in about twenty minutes."

Scarlett paused, thinking about it. Then she glanced at Justin. "Sure, I'll do it, but I'll have to let Justin know."

"Fine, but if he gets paranoid, tell him to shove it and come with us anyway."

Scarlett actually started to laugh, but bit it back at the last second. "I'm not going to tell him to do that, but if he doesn't like it, it's not going to stop me from going if I want to go. And he did say he'd _try_ to be understanding about the fact that I'm friends with you, so maybe he won't even say anything at all."

"Oh, he'll _try_. How gallant," Fred smirked.

Scarlett narrowed her eyes. "Watch it, or I'll revoke my decision."

"So, you're coming?"

Scarlett took a minute before answering. Finally, she pulled her bag onto her shoulder. "Meet you in the entrance hall in ten minutes."

Fred grinned. "Excellent." It was then that George joined them with his things and Fred turned to grin at him. "She's in."

"Brilliant," George said, breaking into an identical grin.

"You two are much too devious for your own good," Scarlett muttered, walking away to catch up with Justin and Erica.

"How'd you ever work that one out?" Fred called after her, laughing.

"Beats me," she called over her shoulder, resulting in more laughter from Fred.

* * *

Scarlett dumped her things onto her bed and immediately headed for the door. "I'm leaving," she announced to Erica. She was trying at all costs to avoid questions so that she could meet the twins. Although, she really should have known questions were inevitable.

"Leaving? Leaving to go where?" Erica asked, bewildered, following Scarlett into the common room where Justin was waiting.

"I'm going to help Fred and George prank Umbridge," Scarlett said, looking at the two of them.

"You can't be serious." Erica laughed in disbelief.

"I am," Scarlett answered. "That woman needs a taste of her own medicine. She's been terrible to everyone in the school and especially terrible towards me. It'll feel good to get revenge."

"Do you know what she'll do if you get caught?" Concern was clearly evident in Justin's tone and Scarlett bit her lip. She almost felt compelled to change her mind and stay here with him and Erica, but only almost. "She might actually cut your hand clean off this time," Justin continued.

Scarlett giggled. "She won't."

"It's not funny," Justin said, glancing down at the half-healed cuts on Scarlett's hand.

"Fred and George will make sure we won't get caught. They are experts after all."

"But Fred got you in trouble last time—oops!" Erica clapped a hand over her mouth as Scarlett mentally cursed.

"Fred landed you in your last detention? You told me you were alone!" Justin cried.

"I didn't want you to get angry. I know you don't like Fred and he was the one delivering the murtlap to me that night. I didn't want to start a fight."

"So hiding it from me was better?" he asked. Justin wasn't one to get angry, which made the way his eyes flashed that much worse.

"No," Scarlett answered.

"If it's really _nothing_, then why did you hide it from me? And why were you out that night long enough for it to be after hours? Shouldn't it have taken about five seconds to get the murtlap?"

"He wanted to show me some of the secret passageways that he knows so that if I ever went out after hours again, I wouldn't get caught."

"But you did get caught." Justin's voice was tense and it was rising with every word. "Fred and George are reckless, Scar. They're not the kind of people you should hang out with."

"They aren't? Well, I don't think you're the kind of person who has the authority to tell me who I can and can't hang out with. If this is a jealousy thing, then I can assure you that Fred and I simply _hang out_ when we're together. _You're_ my boyfriend, not him, and I'm sorry, but you're mental if you think I'm a cheater. You've known me since you were twelve and I was fourteen. I wouldn't do that to you."

"Yeah? Well maybe I don't know who you are anymore. I didn't think you were a liar and look who just got proved wrong. Me!"

Scarlett just glared at him. "I didn't lie."

"_I'm going to get murtlap from Hermione_," Justin mimicked.

"Don't you mimic me!" Scarlett cried.

"Hey!" Erica yelled. "Calm down, the both of you! You both need some space and some time to cool down."

Scarlett sent one last angry glare Justin's way before turning and marching out the door. She tried to regain her composure by the time she reached the entrance hall where the twins were already waiting, but they saw right though her. It figured.

"What's wrong?" Fred asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"Nothing," Scarlett answered.

"Ah, the dreaded girl code." George nodded in understanding.

"It's a tricky language," Fred agreed.

"But we think we've got it down," George finished.

"_What _are you two going on about?"

"When a girl says 'nothing', she really means 'something'." Fred clarified. "In addition, when they say they'll be ready in five minutes, they really mean twenty minutes."

"At least," George added.

"Ah, like when guys say they'll do what you tell them in five minutes and they really mean another twenty. At least," Scarlett smirked.

"Fair enough," Fred muttered. "Better watch out for this one, George. She's tricky."

George smirked before turning back to Scarlett. "Really, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Scarlett insisted.

"Fine, fine." The twins held up their hands in defeat.

"What's the plan?" Scarlett asked, eager to get the subject off of her and her mind off of her fight with Justin.

Fred reached into his pocket and pulled out four colorful candies. "Newest invention," he explained. "Skiving Snackboxes. They're sweets that make you ill so that you can get out of class. One end makes you sick and the other makes you well again so that you have an entire class period to do as you please."

"We just perfected them before the holidays," George added, "but we haven't tested them on anyone besides ourselves and a few first years."

"In other words," Fred said, "we haven't tested them on our enemies yet."

"You have enemies?" Scarlett asked.

"A few here and there," George shrugged. "It comes with the business."

"Business?"

"The pranking business," George said, waving his hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter, though. The enemies we do have are a bunch of gits that we wouldn't want to be friends with anyway."

"We're thinking of slipping these into Umbridge's tea," Fred said. He pointed to each candy as he explained it. "Nosebleed Nougats make you have a raging nosebleed, Fainting Fancies make you faint, Fever Fudge gives you a fever, and Puking Pastils make you vomit. Pretty self-explanatory, really."

"You know," Scarlett said, picking up all four snackboxes and turning them around in her palm, "I've got a better idea than sneaking them into her tea."

"Yeah?" The twins perked up. "Let's hear it."

"Hold on." Scarlett sat down on the steps and, one by one, transfigured each candy so that it was frilly and fancy looking. Then she picked up a stray piece of paper off the floor and tore a tiny strip off of the side. She transfigured the paper to look fancy and the long, thin piece into a pink ribbon. Lastly, she tied the transfigured snackboxes into the fancy wrapping paper. "Have either of you got a spare piece of paper and a quill?" she asked. "I dropped my stuff off in my dorm already."

"Here…." George handed her what she asked for, looking confused.

"Dear Dolores," Fred read over Scarlett's shoulder as she wrote, "I hope you are doing well. From what you've told me about things at Hogwarts being far worse than you feared, I couldn't help but feel sorry for all of the trouble you must be going through. Therefore, I took it upon myself to send you these sweets to express my deepest thanks for taking this difficult job upon yourself. Sincerely, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic."

"Scar, you're brilliant!" George laughed, taking the bag of candies, note now attached, that Scarlett handed him.

"Now, how do we give it to her?" Fred asked. "I suppose you've got that all figured out, too?"

Scarlett smirked as she stood up. Fred actually looked a little miffed that Scarlett was taking charge in his area of expertise, but he also looked somewhat impressed. "We go to the owlery and pick the nicest looking school owl. But we'll have to sneak down to the broom shed and steal some brooms first."

"Why?" George asked.

"Well, her office door will most likely be closed and you want to see what happens, don't you?" Scarlett asked. "Or are you not interested in seeing the old toad become the sickest she's ever been?"

"George and I always use the-,"

"Keyhole?" Scarlett asked. She smirked. "Last time I checked, the keyhole was only big enough for one person to look through."

"We'd alternate," Fred explained. "If we executed a prank in a room where the door was closed, we'd alternate who got to look through the keyhole. Or we'd hide around the corner and just listen. A lot of times, the person we pranked would run out of the room and we'd get a glimpse of how well our prank was executed."

Scarlett smiled. "If we fly up to the window, we'll be able to have a much better view without having one of us peer through the keyhole or all three of us hiding around the corner. I don't know about you but I want to see this whole thing play out from beginning to end and we can do that by spying through the window."

Fred and George blinked at her a few times in amazement. "Marry me," George said, widening his eyes. "Oh, wait…." He smirked at Fred as Scarlett blushed.

Fred smacked George upside the head before turning to Scarlett and smiling slightly. "You really haven't changed, Scar."

Scarlett smiled back. "You two really never thought of using the windows to watch your pranks in action?"

"No," they blushed. "We always thought we'd never have enough time," George added.

"Although now that I think about it," Fred said, "if we'd brought our own brooms we would have, or even if we snuck down to the broom shed before executing the prank, like Scarlett suggested."

"I think it's safe to say I'm thoroughly embarrassed," George groaned. "We were just outsmarted by a girl."

Scarlett swatted him. "Come on," she smiled, "let's get this prank started." She led the way out the front doors and towards the broom shed.

"I told you she's tricky," Fred muttered to George from behind her. Scarlett couldn't help but grin wider.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews so far and thanks to anyone who has added this story to their favorites or their alerts! I hope everyone likes this chapter and don't forget to leave a review to let me know what you think!**


	21. Chapter 21

"_If you are going to let every little thing bother you, it's going to be a long night."_

**-Prince Naveen (The Princess and the Frog)**

* * *

"That was brilliant," George said, slipping through the front doors and leaning against the wall. "I mean, the way she took off running for the hospital wing was great."

"She looked ridiculous," Fred agreed with a laugh.

Scarlett smiled faintly and just stood in the doorway. Pulling the prank on Umbridge had been fun and a great distraction from her fight with Justin, but now that it was over, her mind had gone right back to being occupied with the argument.

Fred and George both turned to look at her. "Are you going to come inside or stand in the doorway all night?" George asked.

Before Scarlett could answer, Fred leaned forward. "Walk with me?" he asked.

Without hesitation, Scarlett nodded. She knew that Fred was going to press her for information about what was wrong and she didn't know if she wanted to talk about it. On the other hand, she didn't want to go back to the Hufflepuff common room just yet and risk running into Justin or even Erica, who would want to ask questions.

"We're going for a walk," Fred told George. "I'll meet you back in the common room."

George nodded and headed for the staircase. Fred and Scarlett watched him go. Once he was gone, Fred smiled at Scarlett and headed back down the front steps.

"Where are you going?" Scarlett asked, following him.

"For a walk," Fred answered. "Have you forgotten already?"

"No, but I meant where exactly are we walking?"

Fred shrugged. "You'll see."

They walked in silence until they reached the Quidditch pitch. Fred climbed into the stands and took a seat, staring out at the goalposts.

"So, how're practices going?" Scarlett asked, taking a seat next to him. "Angelina still working the team like mad?"

"Mm," Fred nodded.

"You must not mind that much, though. It's more time you get to spend with her."

"Not really. We're practicing and she'd kill me if I lost focus even for a second."

"Sounds like she's a different person on the Quidditch pitch. More business-like."

"Mm" Fred nodded again. "Did I tell you she's considering going into playing professional Quidditch once we leave school?"

"No," Scarlett answered, "you didn't. That'll be hard, won't it? I mean, if it does happen, which I'm sure it will. She's a fantastic player."

"Why will it be hard?" Fred asked, looking at her.

"Well, she'll be away a lot," Scarlett shrugged.

"Scar," Fred said slowly. "It won't matter. I'll be with you."

"I know I've asked you this before, but you really don't want to stay friends with her?"

"I told you, I don't know if it'll happen."

"You think she'll be so angry she'll never want to speak to you again?" Scarlett asked.

Fred shrugged. "Either that or with her being away a lot we won't be able to talk about it and stay friends."

"Isn't your friendship strong enough where you can rekindle it?"

"I'd like to think so, but I just don't know."

"She's going to claw my eyes out," Scarlett sighed.

"No, she won't. If she tries, I won't let her." Fred half-smiled. "It's not your fault that this happened."

"It partly is."

Fred shook his head. "It's not enough to justify any anger that Angelina will throw your way."

"How much anger would that be? You know, if you had to estimate."

Fred laughed. "I don't know. But why does it matter? You're not best friends with her or anything."

"More like just friendly acquaintances. But that still doesn't mean I want her to hate me for the rest of her life."

"Maybe it'll work out for the better. Maybe it'll free her up to go travel and play Quidditch professionally without anyone or anything tying her down."

"Are you implying that even if this vow wasn't in place, you wouldn't stay with Angelina?"

Fred shrugged. "If the vow wasn't in place and she was still off traveling all the time…well, long distance relationships are difficult. They require a lot of work to keep up."

"But they're worth it if you really love the person."

"Even still, they don't always work out. Sometimes, they just fail."

"How do you know?"

"I'm just…I'm thinking realistically. If you and I had never made this vow and Angelina was constantly away...well, I'd want to give it a shot and see how it goes, but I'd be prepared for it to end."

"Wow," Scarlett said with a tiny smile.

"What?" Fred asked, looking at her and returning the half-smile.

"Fred Weasley, thinking realistically," Scarlett said, her smile widening. "Fred Weasley prepared to face consequences. Be thankful your mother's not here. She'd probably throw a party right in the middle of the Quidditch pitch."

Fred laughed. "Agreed."

Scarlett had the sudden urge to ask Fred if he loved Angelina, but she also found herself not wanting to know, which shocked her. Why should his answer affect her? It shouldn't. Her relationship with Fred had been pretty open and honest so far. She should have been fine with asking, but yet she couldn't get the words to leave her mouth. Instead, she asked him another question, completely unrelated.

"You have a match coming up against Slytherin. Are you nervous?"

"Yeah, a bit," Fred said, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm in the cold January air. "They can play pretty dirty, but I think we're prepared." He glanced at Scarlett. "You cold?"

"No," she answered. Truthfully, she was a bit cold; she hadn't expected to be spending time outside and hadn't brought a coat, a scarf, or even gloves, but she knew what would happen if she told Fred the truth.

Fred rolled his eyes. "Scar, you're shivering."

"No, I'm not."

Fred sighed. "Why are you so difficult? Come here." He slid closer and put his arm around her shoulders, rubbing his hand up and down along her arm to keep her warm.

"So, forgetting about your possible future with Angelina, how is she right now? You know, when she's not bossing you around on the pitch." She smirked and tried her best to prevent her body from tensing up at Fred's touch.

Fred raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Are you bringing her up again to remind me that I'm taken so that I'll let go of you?"

"No, I was just asking. You know, to make conversation."

"So you don't want me to let go," Fred laughed, smirking wider.

Scarlett scowled at him. "Shove it, Weasley."

"Ooh, touchy," Fred answered.

Scarlett just looked out at the field, keeping her expression flat.

"Scar." Fred moved away from her and grabbed both of her shoulders, turning her to face him. "What's wrong? Don't say 'nothing' or I'll rip my hair out." When Scarlett looked at him thoughtfully, he half smiled and shook his head. "Never mind, but please tell me. Did you and the Finch get into a fight?"

"You're a very good guesser," Scarlett half-laughed.

"So you did get into a fight?" Fred's face fell slightly and he let go of Scarlett's shoulders.

"Yeah," she nodded. "When I went to drop off my things. Why do you look so upset about it?"

"Was it because of me?" Fred asked quietly, staring out at the goalposts again.

"Sort of," Scarlett answered. "He didn't want me to get caught out again and then Erica accidentally let it slip about how I was with you the night I went to get the murtlap. Needless to say, Justin wasn't happy. I can't really blame him, but I was angry that he wasn't trusting me enough where I was comfortable telling him the truth. I didn't like that he was telling me who to hang out with, so I yelled right back at him."

"So you still didn't tell him about the vow?"

"No, yelling it out in the middle of a fight isn't the way I want to tell him."

"_Are_ you going to tell him?"

"Not tonight, but eventually, yes, I have to. I don't know when. Everything keeps snowballing out of control. The longer I wait, the harder it is to say something, but somehow, I can't bring myself to say anything when I should."

"If he broke up with you, it would save you a lot of trouble with having to tell him," Fred smirked.

"He's not going to break up with me," Scarlett answered.

"We're digging ourselves into a pretty deep hole, aren't we?" Fred asked, sighing.

Scarlett nodded. "We're going to have to tell Justin and Angelina sometime, but neither of us has done it yet."

"Why haven't you told Justin yet? You're always so on the fence about it and saying how you should tell him."

"Well, like I said, it's hard. Harder than I thought. And I know telling him is the right thing to do, but I guess now that I've been dating him, I understand what you were saying about wanting to enjoy the relationship first. Although…."

"Although, what?" Fred asked, looking at her.

"Although, I'm not sure I'm enjoying it as much as I could be."

"Why? Is kissing a beaked creature harder than you thought?"

Scarlett smacked him upside the head. "Leave him alone. He doesn't have a beak."

"Well, his nose is slightly pointy…."

"His nose is fine," Scarlett argued. "And it's just that I'm worried about having to tell him about the vow, and on top of that, Ginny and Erica seem to think you and I should be trying to fall in love. Throw in our NEWTs and Umbridge and I'm a nervous wreck. Everything just stresses me out."

"Don't let it," Fred smirked.

"Easier said than done."

"But not impossible."

Scarlett smiled as Fred spoke the same words George had not too long ago. "I suppose you're right," she replied. "Besides, it seems to work for you. You aren't stressed at all."

"I am," Fred answered. "I just hide it well."

"I'll say," Scarlett snorted. She glanced at him. "So you really are stressed?"

Fred smiled. "Not as much as you are, but yeah, this school year, Umbridge, the vow…things have been hard for me as well."

"Can I ask you something?" Scarlett turned so that she was straddling the bench she was sitting on and facing Fred.

"You just did," Fred pointed out with a smirk.

Scarlett smiled. "Another thing, then."

Fred nodded and turned so he was straddling the bench and facing her. "Ask away."

"Why didn't you tell Justin the truth about the fortune cookies?"

"I did. I did know you collected them from when we were younger."

"But you didn't tell him about the talk we had by the lake or your Christmas gift….And you didn't rub it in his face that you knew something he didn't."

"Well," Fred began, "I didn't rub it in his face because I wanted you to be in a good enough mood so that when George and I asked you to prank Umbridge, you'd agree. I figured I'd hold back on some of the teasing."

"You sneaky prat!" Scarlett cried with a tiny laugh.

"Yeah, well, what can I say?" Fred shrugged, laughing. "Anyway, I didn't tell him about Christmas or the lake because first of all, I didn't think you wanted me to."

"I didn't—don't, actually," Scarlett said. "I can deal with that myself."

Fred nodded. "I figured. Secondly, I didn't want to start a fight between you two. You obviously like each other a lot and after saying I wanted to enjoy my relationship with Angelina, why would I mess up the opportunity for you?"

"We fought anyway, so it may actually be messed up," Scarlett sighed.

"It's not," Fred answered. "You said yourself that Justin won't break up with you. By tomorrow morning, he'll have calmed down and he'll be ready to talk like a normal person. And besides," he grinned, "I know you end up with me in the end, so there's no need for me to try to break up the two _lovebirds_." He winked cheekily at her.

"Git," Scarlett muttered, shoving his shoulder. Fred just laughed. "Alright, another question," she added suddenly. "Why did you defend me about the whole collecting the fortunes when Justin said they were a load of rubbish? You said the same thing yourself over the holidays."

Fred sighed and shrugged. "No matter what I think about the actual fortunes, I still think you should collect them if it makes you happy. If it means something to you, then you should do it and not let anyone tell you otherwise. I know I joked about them, but that's just it. I was _joking_. The Finch was making it seem stupid."

Scarlett nodded. "Well, thanks." She paused. "One more question. Actually, no, I have two more."

Fred laughed. "You're certainly on a roll tonight."

"Why did you ask me to prank Umbridge with you? Why didn't you just go with George?"

"I figured you'd want to help after she locked you in a classroom and gave you an eight hour detention. Don't even say you weren't itching to get her back."

"Okay, okay, you're right," Scarlett asked. "Is that the only reason?"

Fred was quiet for a moment. "I like being around you. Like I said over the holidays, ever since we've started talking again, I've remembered how much I missed you. I got used to being away from you, which really should never have happened. So, I guess you could say it's like we're making up for lost time."

"I like being around you, too," Scarlett whispered. "It feels the same as it did before, which I'm thankful for. It's like we never grew apart, you know?"

"Yeah," Fred whispered, nodding. He glanced at her. "So, what's your second question? You said that you had two."

"Why _do_ you make fun of Justin so much? George wouldn't tell me." Scarlett wasted no time in getting right to the point.

"You talked to George?" Fred asked, surprised.

Scarlett nodded. "He told me…well, he told me why you were upset about the bracelet in Herbology and how you don't know how your business is going to turn out…and with Angelina now and us getting married later…." She wasn't making much sense, but Fred obviously knew what she was talking about because he looked up at the sky almost in frustration.

"It's true," he said, "but that's not why I tease the Finch. How much money I have is my problem. I wouldn't tease him because of that."

"Then why do you?"

Fred looked at her. "Maybe Erica and Ginny are wrong. Maybe you are better suited for the Finch."

"Why do you say that? Because he has a lot of money?"

Fred shrugged.

"Fred, I like Justin because he's nice and we've been friends for a while. There are rich people out there that are total jerks. Like the Malfoys. I wouldn't date Malfoy in a million years. I'm sure when you and I get married we'll be just fine. Your joke shop will be brilliant and even if it isn't, I'm not going to hold it against you or anything."

Fred didn't say anything for a moment. "Thanks," he finally said with a smile. "I appreciate that."

Scarlett returned the smile. "So, you never answered my question. If you don't tease Justin because of how much money he has, then why do you?"

"I like watching the two of you get defensive," Fred said.

"I don't think that's completely true. What's the real reason?"

Fred looked at her. "Ask me in a few years," he smirked.

"That's what George said," Scarlett groaned.

Fred laughed. "I think it's best if I keep a few secrets. It'll keep you interested so our marriage isn't a complete bore."

Scarlett just laughed. "Fine."

"I have a question for you now," Fred said after a few seconds.

"Okay, what is it?"

"How exactly did you become friends with the Finch? I knew he's in your house, but he's two years younger. You don't have classes together or anything."

"Why do you care?" Scarlett asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just curious."

"Well, when the Chamber of Secrets was opened, Justin was one of the people who were petrified, as I'm sure you remember. That year was also the year I was helping Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing. I want to be a Healer—I think I've mentioned that to you—so it really helped me out, being around someone in the medical field. Anyway, once Justin was revived, I was the one who had to help catch him up on what had happened and make sure he was okay and fit to leave the hospital wing. We kind of hit it off while we were talking and we've been friends ever since."

"You went to the Yule Ball with him," Fred stated.

"You remember that?"

"It was a ball—the first Hogwarts has had in years. Everyone was really observant that night. Even the guys, but you didn't hear it from me. I'm breaking the guy code by even telling you."

"So all the guys were observant or just you? Because I'm pretty sure Ron and Harry were anything but observant that night. They looked bored to tears." Scarlett smirked and nudged Fred as she teased him.

"Why does it have to be all or just me?" Fred asked, laughing. "Maybe it was really only ninety eight percent of the guys. How should I know? I'm no good at statistics."

"You're just trying to cover up the fact that you didn't like another boy dancing with your future wife," she teased.

Fred scowled and turned a light shade of pink. "You're good at this teasing thing," he commented.

"I grew up with you and George. It's good to know I haven't lost my touch. You were right, though, joking about this situation does make it a little more bearable."

Fred grinned. "See, I told you."

"Fred?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think Erica's right about us flirting? It's another thing that's been bothering me."

"You need to stop worrying so much or else your hair will be grey by the time we're married and we can't have that."

Scarlett smiled and then looked up at him, waiting for an answer.

"How I act around you," Fred began slowly, "is completely natural. I tease you and you tease me back, which I suppose can be taken as flirting, but it depends on the person. It's easy to be around you and easy to talk to you. Words just come out of my mouth without me even having to try. I don't know, maybe it is flirting, but whatever it is, I'm not _trying_ to do it. I don't have to. Everything just-,"

"Flows," Scarlett finished.

"Exactly," Fred nodded.

"I feel the same way."

Fred grinned. "Feel better now?"

Scarlett nodded and fluttered her eyelashes dramatically. "So much better thanks to you."

"Oh, piss off," Fred muttered. He grinned to show he wasn't serious.

"Now that's no way to talk to a lady," Scarlett scolded as Fred stood up and stretched.

"You're completely right," he answered. "My apologies." He held out his hand to help her up.

"Much better," Scarlett said, taking his hand and standing. "You're not going to get us in trouble again, are you?" she asked as they headed back to the castle. "You know, with your _no-fail_ plan to use the secret passageways?"

"My, aren't we on a roll with the jokes tonight," Fred grinned.

Scarlett shrugged. "Like we discussed, it's easy to talk and joke with you."

"You aren't upset about your fight with bird-brain?"

Scarlett sighed. "Bird-brain. That's certainly a new one. How do you ever think of these insulting names on the spot like that?"

"Oh it's not on the spot," Fred said. "I lie awake all night just thinking of new insults to throw at your feathered friend."

Scarlett glared at him. "Anyway, no I'm not all that upset anymore. Talking to you helped."

"Glad I could be of assistance," Fred smirked, pushing open the castle's front doors. "Coast is clear. Umbridge should still be in the hospital wing and Filch doesn't seem to be around, so go ahead and make a mad dash for your common room."

Scarlett darted across the entrance hall to a door on the far side of the room that led to the kitchens and the Hufflepuff common room. She pushed the door open and just before slipping through it, she turned to Fred, who was watching her leave. "Thanks," she said, "for everything."

"You're welcome," he answered, grinning. "Oh, and Scar?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sure things between you and the Finch will be fine." He half-smiled, but Scarlett thought it looked more like a grimace.

"I hope so," she whispered. With that she slipped through the open door closing it quietly behind her.

* * *

**A/N: For some reason this chapter gave me a lot of trouble. I loved it the way it was at first, but then I kept trying to change things around and ended up not happy with the changes so I took them out. I do have a lot of fun writing Fred and Scarlett's conversations though and hopefully they aren't boring anybody. **

**Thanks for reading and thanks for all the positive feedback! :)**


	22. Chapter 22

_"You don't meet a girl like that every dynasty."_

**-The Emperor (Mulan)**

* * *

Scarlett woke up the next morning wanting nothing more than to stay under her covers. She had returned to her common room the night before to find that both Erica and Justin had gone to bed. This had been a relief at the time, but the prospect of having to face both of them sometime during the day was enough to make Scarlett want to hide under her covers until summer arrived and it was time to go home.

Finally, the time came when Scarlett wasn't able to put off getting out of bed any longer. Glancing at Erica's bed, she saw that her best friend was already awake and most likely in the bathroom. Sighing, Scarlett dragged herself out of bed and reached the bathroom just as Erica was coming out. They stared at each other for a moment before Erica spoke.

"Scar, what happened last night?"

Scarlett fiddled with the hem of her pajama top. "I went to meet Fred and George, as I'm sure you've guessed. We pranked Umbridge, and then Fred and I talked out by the Quidditch pitch. That's why I was gone for so long. I needed time to calm down. All we did was talk, though, I swear."

"I believe you."

"Are you angry with me?"

Erica moved to sit on her bed. "No," she said slowly. "I understand where you're coming from and I know the feelings you have for Fred are simply friendly. I know you aren't actually _doing_ anything with him, and Justin should understand that as well, but I also know something he doesn't with the whole vow thing. Justin really likes you, Scar, and he has some issues with Fred. I don't blame him for being afraid to lose you."

"Which is why I'm afraid to tell him the truth about Fred. He'll freak out." But I know the longer I wait, the harder it'll get. I like Justin so much and I know he really likes me, but I don't want to lose him either and I will if I tell him about Fred."

"You're in quite the tricky situation," Erica agreed.

"Do you think Justin's still mad at me?"

Erica shook her head. "I highly doubt it. You know him. He doesn't usually stay angry for long."

Scarlett nodded and headed into the bathroom. "You know, nine year olds really shouldn't be allowed to make their own decisions. If they weren't, I wouldn't be in this mess."

Erica laughed. "I don't know. In a weird way, I'm kind of enjoying watching you suffer."

"What a lousy best friend you are," Scarlett teased.

"I do my best."

* * *

Justin was sitting across from Ernie and Hannah in the great hall when Scarlett got down there for breakfast. She stopped just to his right and fiddled with the end of her sleeve, unsure of what to do. Finally, Ernie looked up and met her eye. Justin turned to see what Ernie was looking at and when he saw Scarlett, his expression didn't change. He simply stared at her, clearly waiting for her to say something first.

"Hi, can I talk to you?" she whispered.

Justin paused before nodding. "Okay."

Scarlett sat down and turned so that she was facing him. "I didn't mean to make you angry last night."

Justin sighed. "Why did you lie to me about who you got the murtlap from?"

"Like I said, I didn't want you to get upset. You'd be suspicious that Fred was bringing me the murtlap instead of Hermione and I was trying to prevent our fight from happening, but it happened anyway. And, honestly, I wasn't expecting to actually spend time with Fred that night. I wanted to just get the murtlap and leave, but he managed to convince me to stay out after hours. Maybe it wasn't the best decision, but…." She trailed off and shrugged. "Anyway, the important thing is that nothing happens when Fred and I are together. We just talk mostly."

Justin stared at her without saying a word. He simply sat there, studying her face.

"Please, say something," Scarlett whispered.

Finally, Justin let out another sigh. "It's really me that should be apologizing to you. I might have overreacted."

"I know you have issues with Fred and I know why, but honestly, you should trust me. If you just trusted me about this, I wouldn't have to lie about when I'm hanging out with Fred."

"Have there been other times you've spent time with him and hid it from me?"

"No, I swear."

"I'm sorry, Scar," Justin sighed. "I do trust you. I just…I overreacted. But I _do_ think Fred and George are reckless. I hate seeing what that toad of a woman does during her detentions and I don't want Fred and George to be the reason you have to sit through them."

"I know where you're coming from, but they're my friends, and it's up to me if and how I spend my time with them."

Justin nodded and rubbed a hand over his face. "I did say I'd try to be more understanding about them, didn't I? I suppose I didn't do a very good job of keeping my word."

"You said you'd _try_, not that you _would_, so the way I see it, you're doing okay."

Justin's mouth actually turned up into a small smile. "I'm still going to try, okay? Not for them, though. For you. If you see something worth liking in them, then I'm not going to hold it against you."

"You really don't see anything good in them at all?" Scarlett asked.

"I mean, I suppose they can't be all bad. They did get sorted into Gryffindor, but…." Justin shrugged. "As you know, I have my reasons."

Scarlett nodded. "So…we're okay now? You're aren't still angry with me, are you?"

"Are _you_ still angry with _me_?" Justin asked, smiling almost shyly.

"No," Scarlett whispered.

Justin leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss. "For the record, I don't think I could ever stay mad at you."

Scarlett smiled. _We'll see how true that is once I tell you that I have to marry Fred Weasley_, she thought.

* * *

Scarlett sat in the common room that night, chewing on the end of her quill. She felt incredibly guilty. Justin had been so understanding that morning once they had talked everything out. She probably didn't even deserve that. She probably didn't deserve him at all.

"So, a week from this Saturday," Justin said, plopping down next to Scarlett and jolting her out of her thoughts.

"What about it?" she asked, looking at him and trying not to smile. She had an inkling of what he was getting at.

"Well, it just so happens to be a Hogsmeade weekend. It also happens to be Valentine's Day," Justin smirked.

"Are you hinting at something?" Scarlett asked.

"I might be," Justin answered, smirking wider.

"Hmm, I wonder what it could possibly be." Scarlett tapped her chin in mock thought.

"Surely a smart girl like you can figure it out," Justin said, leaning back against the couch cushions.

"Well, I can't think of anything you could possibly be hinting at, so maybe I'm not as smart as you think I am." She shrugged and grinned at him.

"Oh, so you're giving me an attitude now?" Justin asked, pretending to be appalled.

"No, not at all. Why would you think such a thing?"

"I don't know." Justin tried to shrug nonchalantly, but he failed to hide his grin. "But I'm not saying anything until you figure it out."

"Okay," Scarlett shrugged, going back to her homework and, unlike Justin, succeeding in hiding her smirk.

Justin groaned and laughed.

"What?" Scarlett giggled.

"You're such a _handful_," Justin answered.

"This is nothing," Scarlett said, shaking her head. "I can always be even more annoying."

"No," Justin said at once, his eyes widening comically.

Scarlett giggled. "Okay, okay, I won't make you suffer anymore. Were you hinting that you'd like to spend Valentine's Day in Hogsmeade with me?"

"No," Justin shrugged.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "And you say _I'm_ the handful."

Justin grinned. "Okay, that is what I was hinting at, so will you go with me? It'll be our first official date."

"I thought the last Quidditch match was our first official date," Scarlett teased. "Isn't that why Erica took off with Ernie and Hannah? So that you and I could sit together?"

Justin gave her a look. "Just because we were left alone doesn't make it a date. Wouldn't _this _be a date if that were the case?"

"So you're saying we should invite more people to Hogsmeade with us?" Scarlett said, still teasing.

Justin rolled his eyes. "You're impossible, but that's why I like you so much. Anyway, my point is that I wasn't aware that the Quidditch match was a date so it doesn't count."

"Whatever you say," Scarlett laughed. "But of course I'll go with you. We can even go to Madame Puddifoots!" she cheered sarcastically.

"No," Justin groaned.

"Gag me," Scarlett agreed.

"Three Broomsticks?"

"Sounds good."

"Okay, it's a date," Justin said, nudging her. Scarlett rolled her eyes and giggled.

* * *

"What an odd place to do homework."

Scarlett looked up from her spot at a table in the Hogwarts kitchens to see Fred standing over her, a piece of toast in his hand. George was standing next to him, also holding a piece of toast.

"When did you two get here?" she asked, frowning. "I didn't hear you come in. Usually, the house elves make a big commotion when someone comes into the kitchens."

"They did," Fred grinned.

"They did?" Scarlett blinked a few times. "I must have completely missed it."

"Did you hear that, George?" Fred asked. "Scarlett was too caught up in _homework_ to notice the arrival of the two most handsome blokes at Hogwarts. I find it rather insulting, don't you?"

"Very insulting," George smirked.

"You know," Scarlett said, glancing up at Fred, "if I didn't know you were joking, I would hate you for being so self-centered."

"Who said I was joking?" Fred winked.

Scarlett let out a frustrated groan and turned back to her homework.

"Would you really hate me?" Fred asked curiously as he and George both took seats across from her.

Scarlett looked up at him. "Most likely," she said, almost bluntly. "Being self-centered is never attractive." She shrugged before adding, "At least, not to me."

"Girls loved Lockhart when he was teaching here," George pointed out. "And he loved himself so much that the earth could still go round if he were the only person on it."

"Every time I laid eyes on that man, the urge to vomit was so overwhelming that I began to consider bringing a bucket to class," Scarlett deadpanned, scribbling down another sentence of her Charms essay.

Fred and George gaped at her. "Seriously?"

Scarlett nodded. "I'm completely serious."

"You're the first girl I've ever heard say she didn't like Lockhart," Fred said. "Even Angelina admits to having a crush on him."

"Yeah, well, he made me sick," Scarlett said. "I can still remember the class when he said," she deepened her voice to imitate Lockhart, "'I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her'." She did an impersonation of Lockhart's laugh. "Honestly, I wanted to knock his teeth out. Perhaps then he could banish banshees with his smile."

The twins let out snorts of laughter. Fred even began choking on his toast and George had to clap him on the back a few times.

Scarlett looked up and raised an eyebrow. "You thought that was funny?"

Fred nodded. He looked at her almost thoughtfully.

"What?" Scarlett asked.

"Nothing," Fred answered, shaking his head. "It's just that you are pretty funny when you want to be."

"Funny looking, that is," George smirked. Fred laughed and the two of them high-fived.

"Oh, please, that joke's as old as the hills," Scarlett sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Speaking of funny looking, do you have plans with the Finch this weekend?"

"Of course she does," George smirked as Scarlett glared at Fred. "It's Valentine's Day." He looked at Scarlett. "Going to Madame Puddifoots?"

"That's the last place both me and Justin want to go," Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"I thought girls loved Madame Puddifoots," Fred said. "I heard that's where Cho Chang wants to go with Harry on their date this weekend."

"Do I look like Cho Chang to you?" Scarlett asked.

"No, but I'm just saying that normally girls love that place."

"Well, then I guess I'm not a normal girl," Scarlett said absentmindedly.

"That's for sure," Fred snorted. "I didn't mean it in a bad way!" he added when Scarlett kicked him under the table.

"Is that where you're going with Angelina this weekend?" Scarlett looked up from her homework long enough to smirk at Fred. "Madame Puddifoots?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Fred said. "I thought she hated that place as much as I did, but I guess she was curious about it. She's never been there, so she wanted to give it a try."

"That's rough," Scarlett smiled. "Meanwhile, I'll be happily keeping my lunch down in a lovely booth at the Three Broomsticks."

"Shut up," Fred muttered, dusting crumbs off of his hands.

"Watch it," Scarlett said, moving her homework out of the way.

"Why are you doing homework in here anyway?"

Scarlett shrugged. "It's actually not that noisy unless it's close to a meal time." She smirked. "Besides, the house elves will bring me something to eat whenever I want it."

Fred smiled. "Don't let Hermione hear you say that."

"Oh, please, I don't abuse the privilege. In fact, I hardly ever ask. You know how the house elves are. Basically, they keep asking me if I want anything until I finally cave."

"You have more willpower than me and George," Fred said. "They only have to ask us once."

"Then again," George continued, "we don't come in here unless we want food, so there'd be no reason for us to turn them down in the first place."

"How do you know how to get in here, anyway?" Fred asked Scarlett.

"My common room is just down the hallway."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean everyone automatically knows how to get into the kitchens…does it?"

Scarlett shook her head. "I figured it out on my own."

"How?"

"The same way you figured it out, I expect."

"Bill told you, then," Fred smirked.

Scarlett looked up. "No….I just assumed you two figured it out on your own as well…."

"Nope, we didn't have to overexert ourselves trying to figure it out. It was just handed to us while you sat around straining yourself to figure out a way in," Fred teased.

"It wasn't that hard," Scarlett shrugged. "I was determined to find a way in. I was curious."

"Impressive," Fred said, raising an eyebrow.

"It _is_ possible to figure it out. The first person who discovered it must have figured it out somehow." Scarlett shrugged and glanced at her watch. "I'd better get going. The house elves will be preparing for dinner soon and things will get hectic." She packed up her things and headed for the door. When she reached it, she turned around. "Fred?"

"Yeah?"

"Have fun at Madame Puddifoots. Try not to vomit or else I'm sure Angelina would never forgive you."

"Have fun with the Finch," Fred retaliated. "Try not to let his beak get too much in the way."

"Fair enough," Scarlett sighed.

"What do you mean?" Fred asked.

"I may have deserved that one for teasing you first."

The twins stood up and made their way over to her. George exited the room first and Fred stopped in the doorway, right across from Scarlett. He looked down at her and smirked. "One of the rules of playful bantering is not admitting defeat," he said quietly. "You should know. Usually you're pretty good at it."

"Playful bantering? Is that what we were doing?" Scarlett asked.

Fred smiled. "I'm sure Erica and Ginny would beg to differ. They'd think we were flirting."

"Me, flirt with you?" Scarlett asked, raising an eyebrow. "In your dreams, Weasley." With that, she moved out from the doorway and headed for her common room.

"See you there, then," Fred called after her. When Scarlett looked back, eyebrows raised, Fred winked before laughing and walking away with George, who was laughing just as much.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. Fred was just messing with her. He was taking the flirting joke and milking it for all it was worth. "You wish," she called after him.

Fred turned around and walked backwards away from her. "You just like to have the last word, don't you?"

"Yeah, sometimes, and so what if I do? Is that a problem?"

Fred shrugged. "No."

"Good."

"Good."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Scarlett let out a frustrated sigh. "Are we seventeen years old or are we five?"

Fred pretended to think. "I'd say more around seven."

As much as she was willing herself not to, Scarlett couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Bye, Fred. Bye, George."

"Bye," they said together, grinning cheekily.

Scarlett rolled her eyes and turned away, determined to reach her common room without getting roped into another odd conversation with Fred Weasley.

* * *

"I have something for you," Justin said the next weekend.

Scarlett smiled. "You do? You didn't have to get me anything."

Justin simply looked at her. "You got me something, didn't you? It's a two way street you know."

Scarlett smiled. "You told me that before…at the beginning of the year when we weren't even dating yet."

"I know," Justin answered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another small box.

"Justin," Scarlett began, making it evident in her tone that he really shouldn't have.

"Come on, just open it," he urged, handing it to her.

Scarlett sighed and took the box, pulling off the cover to reveal a pair of silver earrings with emeralds in the middle. Scarlett's mouth dropped open.

"They'll go with your bracelet," Justin said, leaning back in his chair and grinning.

"Justin, I don't know what to say…I mean, what next, a matching necklace?"

"Maybe," he smirked.

Scarlett laughed and shot him and exasperated look.

"I know, I know, I didn't have to do this, but I did," Justin said, smirking wider, "so just say thank you."

"Thank you," Scarlett whispered, lightly touching the earrings. "They're beautiful. And you really didn't have to do this."

"I did," Justin insisted, leaning forward again and taking her hand.

"And why's that?" she smirked.

"Well," Justin replied, clearing his throat nervously. He glanced down at the table and back at Scarlett. "I've realized something recently and I thought today would be a great time to tell you."

"Yeah, what's that?" Scarlett asked, her mouth turning up slightly.

Justin nervously cleared his throat again. "Scar, I'm pretty sure I've fallen in love with you."

* * *

**A/N: I know that was kind of a terrible place to end it but at the same time it was so perfect that I had to do it, so hopefully nobody hates me too much :) **

**Thanks for all the feedback that I've gotten on the story since the last chapter! You guys have no idea how much I appreciate it. :)**


	23. Chapter 23

"_Forever is a long, long time and time has a way of changing things."_

**-Big Mama (The Fox and the Hound)**

* * *

At Justin's words, Scarlett almost dropped the earring box. "What?" she spluttered.

Justin looked at her, alarmed. "Yeah, I mean…yeah. I love you. Why do you look so shocked? I feel like I told you at the worst possible time." He gave her a nervous smile.

_He has no idea,_ Scarlett thought. She had already figured that love would probably come eventually in their relationship, but she had planned on telling Justin about Fred before then. Now, telling him was going to be that much worse.

"I mean," Justin continued, "I thought that it was Valentine's Day and romantic, and-,"

"No, the timing—it's—today was fine. It's really sweet that you planned it all out like that, actually."

"You looked really surprised, though."

"Well, I am surprised. I wasn't expecting you to say that is all."

"I know we've only been dating for five months, but," Justin sighed, "I had to tell you. I don't expect you to say it back or anything….Like I said, it's only been five months. Essentially, it's not that long. Not in the big picture, anyway. I-,"

"Justin," Scarlett laughed, putting an end to Justin's rambling. She took a deep breath. "I do really care about you a lot, but-,"

"You aren't exactly at the love stage yet," Justin finished.

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah," she said slowly. She suddenly felt anxious to get away so that she could think.

"One day—well, do you think it's possible that one day you will?"

Scarlett nodded. "I think I could. Like I said, I really care about you. I just need some time to figure out if I'm there yet. Now that I know that's how you feel about me…." She sighed. "There's just a lot I've been thinking about lately."

"Okay, I get it," Justin nodded after a pause. "Anything you need to talk about?"

"No, I just need to get my thoughts together."

"Okay," Justin said.

"You're not going to take my earrings back, are you?" Scarlett joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Because, then, you know, things could be a little different."

To her relief, Justin laughed. "I wasn't planning on it, but since you said that…."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and tucked the earrings into her bag. "Thank you. For the earrings, for today…for everything."

Justin smiled. "You're very welcome, but today isn't over yet."

"No?" Scarlett asked. "What's the plan, then?"

"Well, I don't think we should go to the Shrieking Shack." Justin stood up and held out his hand to Scarlett, who took it and stood up, letting Justin lead her out the door. "It might be taken already," he continued as they walked out into the busy street of Hogsmeade.

Scarlett snorted. "I wonder how many couples have gone there or tried to go there today."

"I have no idea, but I'm guessing there could be a waiting list at the moment. You think Fred and Angelina are waiting their turn?" Justin smirked.

Scarlett snorted again. "Fred? Waiting? No, he'd have gotten impatient and found another secluded spot by now."

"Or not." Justin pointed a little further down the street. Fred and Angelina were walking hand in hand in Scarlett and Justin's direction. "Please don't tell me you want to stop and talk."

Scarlett shook her head. "No, we don't have to."

"I know he's your friend and all so if you _really_ want to, you can," Justin glanced at her and smirked, "but I'd rather not share you on our date."

Scarlett smiled and shook her head. "All right, come on, in here." She ducked into the nearest shop, pulling Justin with her.

"Honeydukes, perfect," Justin smiled. They began walking up and down the crowded aisles. Justin paused to grab a box of Every Flavor Beans. "What's your favorite?" he asked curiously, giving the box a tiny shake.

"Marshmallow," said a voice from behind them. Scarlett turned to see Fred standing there. Angelina was a little further down the aisle, examining one of the shelves. Merlin, those two moved fast. "What?" Fred asked, noticing Scarlett and Justin's expressions. "Was I wrong?"

"No," Scarlett answered slowly.

"How did you know?" Justin asked.

Fred shrugged. "I remembered from when Scarlett and I were kids. What, am I not allowed to know things about people?"

Justin didn't answer.

"Fred," Scarlett warned.

Fred grinned and looked at Justin. "Scarlett would always come over and whenever we ate Every Flavor Beans, she'd eat all the marshmallow ones. She'd search through the box and pick them out one by one." He looked at Scarlett. "Remember?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I do. You used to get angry because your favorite was marshmallow as well."

"And I couldn't stop you from eating them because mum would only say that you were our _guest._ So I used to try and eat all the marshmallow ones at your house, but you always had them already picked out of the box."

"And hidden away in my room," Scarlett said, half smiling.

Fred grinned wider and looked at Justin again. "So then, one Christmas, I bought her a box of Every Flavor Beans, opened it, picked out all the marshmallow beans, sealed it, and gave it to her. She thought it was a mistake at first, but eventually she found out it was me and she was angry. She must've tried to hit me about ten times, but I stopped her."

"Yeah, by holding your hand against my forehead and pushing me away so I couldn't reach you."

"You got that mad over every flavor beans?" Justin asked.

Scarlett shrugged. "I wasn't really _that_ angry, but Fred and George were always doing little things to annoy me. I was angrier when they _cut off my hair_." She glared pointedly at Fred.

"Ah, yes, you mentioned that recently, didn't you? What did you do to me that time?" he teased.

"I bit you," she muttered.

"She bit me," Fred said, nodding at Justin, his expression saying _it's true_. "Left some nice teeth marks in my shoulder."

"Sorry," Scarlett said.

"No, you're not. You aren't sorry one bit," Fred teased.

"I didn't break the skin or anything."

"No, just left the teeth marks, thankfully," Fred said. "Your mother was _so_ mad."

"Yeah, she lectured me _forever_," Scarlett said.

"Only after she was done _yelling_ at you forever," Fred laughed.

Justin cleared his throat. "Scar, I'm going to go pay for these." He gestured to the every flavor beans. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," she nodded. As soon as Justin was out of earshot, she rounded on Fred. "What are you doing?"

"What?" he laughed.

"You know what. You know how Justin feels and then you all of a sudden take a stroll down memory lane _right_ _in front of him_. Are you _trying_ to fuel the fire?"

"No," Fred replied, shaking his head. "And anyway, you didn't say anything. You took a stroll down memory lane with me!"

Scarlett just glared at him. "What was I supposed to do? And anyway, that's not the point!"

"No?" Fred smirked. "Anyway, I know from what you told me in Herbology yesterday that he's been trying to be less…uptight about our friendship, so watching him hold his tongue is amusing."

"That's fueling the fire, Fred."

"Okay, but he won't get mad at _you_. What's he going to say? 'Go back in time and stay away from Fred Weasley'?"

"Maybe," Scarlett shot back.

Fred laughed. "What's his favorite Every Flavor Bean? Bird seed?"

"There's no such thing!"

"Oh, but there is." Fred grabbed a box and shook it. "They add new flavors all the time, you know. Bird seed is actually relatively new."

"You're joking."

"For once, I am not," Fred said, sighing dramatically and putting the box back on the shelf. "Research it yourself if you don't believe me." He paused. "How long has it been since you ate these, anyway? Must've been a while if you didn't know about the bird seed."

Scarlett shrugged. "Maybe a year or so. And besides, I really only care about the normal ones."

"You mean the marshmallow ones," Fred teased as Scarlett smiled. "You're such a coward," he continued, laughing. Scarlett narrowed her eyes and Fred laughed harder.

Suddenly, Angelina appeared at Fred's side. He put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. Once again, Scarlett found herself wondering if Fred loved Angelina. And if he did, had he told her? Did she love him back? She was abruptly shaken from her thoughts by none other than Angelina herself.

"Hi, Scarlett, how are you?"

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"Great. Where's Justin?"

"He's off buying some every flavor beans. He'll be back soon." There was a moment of awkward silence. "Are you having fun on your date?" Scarlett continued politely, only asking the question to fill the silence.

"Yeah, loads," Angelina grinned, looking up at Fred. "It started out somewhat miserably, though, because-,"

"Oh, no," Fred groaned.

Angelina smirked and held out her index finger to Scarlett. It had a bandage around it. "His pygmy puff bit me this morning."

"Binky bit you?" Scarlett asked, surprised. "But he's so sweet. I saw him over Christmas."

"Yeah, well, he hates me," Angelina sighed. "I have no idea why."

"He does not _hate_ you," Fred said.

"He tries to bite me every time I'm close to you when he's around and this time he succeeded."

"He's overprotective of me," Fred smirked.

"Yeah, just when I'm around," Angelina muttered.

Scarlett kept her mouth shut. If she said that Binky liked _her_, she would come off sounding evil. Before she could think of anything else to say, Justin returned, the box of Every Flavor Beans already opened. He held it out to Scarlett.

"Try to save me at least one marshmallow one," he teased, smirking.

She smiled and reached into the box. "No promises." She retracted her hand and sifted through her handful. "Aha, a marshmallow!" She stuck it in her mouth and dumped the rest back into the box.

Justin pretended to pout. "Are those seriously the only ones you eat?"

"No, but they're my absolute favorite," she said, grinning at him.

"You two are such a sweet couple," Angelina remarked. For some reason, it made Scarlett wanted to vomit. "Aren't they sweet, Fred?" Angelina continued.

"Yeah, adorable," Fred answered with a slight eye roll.

Justin suddenly noticed Angelina and blinked a few times. Scarlett knew he must have felt awkward. He had barely spoken to her in years, there were all these hidden feelings that he used to have and now she was standing here with Fred. Scarlett could also tell from the way Angelina was acting that she had never returned those feelings that Justin had once felt for her. She was clueless about the way he used to feel and right now she was definitely head over heels for Fred.

"Try not to think about it," Scarlett whispered to Justin.

Justin cleared his throat and nodded before looking back into his box of Every Flavor Beans.

Just then, Fred winked subtly at Scarlett before turning to Justin. "Have you ever tried the birdseed flavored bean?"

Scarlett widened her eyes in horror. Now she really felt like vomiting. Anything that would get her out of there would be great.

"They have birdseed beans?" Justin asked, raising his eyebrows as he peered into the box curiously. "Honestly, I can't keep up with these things. There's nothing like this in the Muggle world."

"Yeah, Scarlett didn't believe me either," Fred said. "It's a weird, greyish, tan color."

"Oh, like this?" Justin reached into the box and pulled out a bean.

"That's the one," Fred grinned. He glanced at Scarlett and grinned wider when he saw the look on her face.

"This isn't a trick, is it?" Justin asked. "You didn't tell me it was one thing and it's going to be something gross?"

"Isn't bird seed gross enough?" Fred asked. "Unless, of course, you _like_ bird seed."

"No," Justin answered, "I just meant-,"

"I know what you meant and if I were trying to trick you, wouldn't I have said it was something really good at first?"

"I suppose so," Justin replied slowly. He popped the bean into his mouth and chewed it.

"Is it good?" Scarlett asked, actually feeling kind of curious.

"It is, actually," Justin shrugged. "I mean, it's not _great_, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

Fred looked at Scarlett and made a face. Scarlett felt like she could hit him, but at the same time, she had the urge to laugh.

"Want to try one, Scar?" Justin asked.

"No, I'll stick to marshmallow," she assured him with a grin.

"Your loss," Fred smirked. Scarlett knew there were trillions of bird jokes formulating in that head of his, but she also knew he wouldn't dare say them with Justin around. At least not so it would be obvious, anyway.

"Come on," she said, slipping her hand into Justin's. "Let's go."

"Hey," Fred hissed in her ear, grabbing her elbow, "there's a secret passageway in the cellar that leads back up into Hogwarts."

"Your point?"

"No one knows about it except me, George and Harry. Since George is single and Harry's in the Three Broomsticks giving Rita Skeeter an interview-,"

"_That's_ what he was doing? I saw him there and wondered….I thought he was on a date with Cho. Why is he giving Rita Skeeter an interview?"

"He _was _on a date with Cho, but it doesn't look as if it ended well considering she's not with him. The interview's about what happened to him last year. Luna's dad is going to publish it in the Quibbler. _Anyway_, my point was that since Harry's not available either, I'm more than willing to share the secret passage with you."

"What are you even talking about?"

"It _is_ Valentine's day, is it not?" Fred asked impatiently.

Suddenly, Scarlett understood. She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but I'll pass."

"That's my girl," Fred teased, grinning. "I'm glad you're refraining from such promiscuous behavior."

Scarlett almost let out a laugh. "You're just glad because _you_ want it all to yourself."

"If I did would I have offered it to you?"

"You were trying to be noble or something. Or you knew I would say no!"

Fred grinned and shook his head. "Seriously, it's probably a good idea you said no." He made his expression into a solemn one and lowered his voice even further. "The Finch might accidentally peck your eye out in the dark. You'd have to get a fake eye like Moody." He crossed one of his eyes and Scarlett fought back a laugh. She had forgotten he could do that.

Instead of laughing, though, Scarlett did her best to arrange her face into a scowl. "Don't try to make that face to get me to ignore the fact that you are a mean person."

"Oh, yeah?" Fred asked, smirking. "You didn't seem to think so back when you told me you missed being my friend."

Scarlett glared at him again. Then she rolled her eyes and walked away, leaving Fred laughing behind her.

* * *

"Why are you up here all by yourself?" Erica asked.

"Hm?" Scarlett replied, looking up. She had been sitting on her bed in her dorm, staring out the window.

"You came up here not too long after dinner, which you hardly touched, and you've been up here ever since. What's going on?"

"I didn't feel well. I told you and Justin that."

"Yeah, well, maybe Justin believes you, but I don't." Erica sat down on her bed and crossed her legs under her. "What's going on?" she asked again. "Did you and Justin get into another argument today?"

Scarlett sighed. "No, it was exactly the opposite, actually. He told me he loved me."

Erica's eyes widened. "He what?"

"You heard me. He loves me."

"Well, isn't that a good thing? Shouldn't you be down there with him instead of up here by yourself?"

"I suppose, but I needed to think. I don't love him back yet. I told him that and I think he was a little disappointed. I always thought we'd fall in love at the same time and it'd be no problem, but now I have this Fred thing on my mind and I can't help but wonder if that's the reason I don't love Justin. Because I know I can't be with him forever."

"Well," Erica said slowly, "forever's a long time, anyway. People say they're in love all the time and don't end up lasting. People do fall in and out of love, unfortunately."

"Yeah, but if I let myself love Justin it'll be so hard to end things with him."

"Which is why you should _tell him_ about Fred."

"I know! But I can't tell him now. How horrible would it be if I told him the news right after he told me how he feels? And don't say I should have told him ages ago, because I know I should have and I didn't. I'm an idiot and I'm ruining everything."

Erica was quiet. "You'll figure this out," she said. "I don't know what to tell you, though. You need to tell Justin the truth, but you're right, you can't tell him now."

"And what happens if I do fall in love with him? Do I tell him that I love him or do I break up with him? And then what if somehow someone finds a way around this vow and I've already broken up with him and-,"

"Scarlett, stop. There is no way around the vow. You know that."

"I know, but I keep hoping that maybe someone will find a way to save me from worrying about all of this. Then I can stay with Justin, Fred can stay with Angelina, and everyone's happy."

"You're marrying Fred and that's it. You can't do anything about it, Scar."

Scarlett sighed. "I know." She traced circles into her quilt. "I will figure everything out, though, like you said." She took a breath and nodded, trying to convince herself.

"You will," Erica said, smiling. "I wish I could be better at giving advice, but I really don't know what to do either. I'm just as confused and as lost as you are."

"I appreciate you trying, though."

Erica grinned. "That's what I'm here for, Scar. I'd be breaking many friendship rules if I didn't try."

Scarlett broke into a smile. "Yes, you most certainly would be." Her words were met with Erica's pillow hitting her in the face. She giggled. "Oh, and Erica?"

"Yes?"

"Don't mention anything in front of Fred and George just yet. Fred will never let me live it down and I'm not in the mood right now to hear joke upon joke about how I'm a bird lady or that my feathered friend is in love with me."

"Got it," Erica nodded, saluting her.

Scarlett laughed and tossed Erica's pillow back at her before falling back onto her own bed. "I know you don't like being the single friend, but you're actually quite lucky."

Erica snorted. "I'm beginning to see that after watching you freak out every few days over a new advancement in your ever so complicated life."

"Trade places with me?"

Erica laughed. "No, I'll find my husband on my own, thanks. I'm going to stay away from vows until my actual wedding day."

"Good plan. I'd do the same thing if I were smart like you."

"I know," Erica sniffed, flipping her curls over her shoulder.

Scarlett sighed and shook her head before curling up under her covers and pulling them over her head.

* * *

"Fancy meeting you here."

Scarlett looked up in shock. She hadn't expected anyone to find her. It was the day after Valentine's Day and the day after Justin had told her he loved her. Those three words had been bouncing around her head ever since Justin had spoken them, especially when Scarlett was alone. Yet, all she wanted was to be alone so she could sort out her thoughts.

That was what had led her to walk down to the willow tree by the lake after her last class. It was the same willow tree where she had sat with Fred the night they had gotten a detention. She had cleared away the dusting of snow by the tree's base with her wand and sat down before pulling her knees to chest and burying her head in her arms with the hopes of going missing for a little while. She had hoped nobody would find her, but she had clearly been wrong.

Her first instinct to tell whoever had spoken to go away, but when she saw who it was, she relaxed. "Hi, Fred."

"What are you doing outside in the cold?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same question," Scarlett replied.

"Fair enough." There was a pause. "Can I join you?"

Scarlett nodded. "Sure, why not?"

Fred cleared away some of the snow beside Scarlett before sitting down next to her. "Something tells me you're out here because you didn't want to be found."

"What makes you think that?" Scarlett asked, looking at him.

"You're sitting outside in the middle of February while most sane people are inside by their common room fires waiting to go down to dinner."

"In other words, I'm crazy," Scarlett said with a wry smile.

"Yeah, but what else is new?" Fred joked.

Scarlett leaned over and gave him a shove. "You're not inside, so does that make you crazy too?" she asked after a moment, meeting his eyes and smirking.

"Yeah, I suppose it does," Fred replied quietly.

Scarlett held his gaze for a few seconds longer before quickly looking away. "Why _are_ you out here?"

"Why are you?"

"I'm thinking. And you were right. I didn't want to be found."

"And yet you let me sit with you."

Scarlett nodded. "Don't flatter yourself, Mr. Bighead."

"So much for making a guy feel special," Fred teased. "How does the Finch ever survive?"

Scarlett didn't respond. Instead, she began examining a hole in her glove.

"Something wrong?" Fred asked.

Scarlett shrugged one shoulder. "No, not really. I'm just trying to sort some things out."

"Want to talk about it?" Fred asked.

Scarlett didn't answer right away. Finally, she turned to look at Fred. "Can we just talk about anything _but_ what's on my mind? I need a distraction."

Fred looked slightly surprised. "Sure," he said quietly. "It's what you did for me when my dad was attacked, so I'm happy to do it for you."

Scarlett gave him a tiny smile and rested her chin on her knees again. "So, how was Madame Puddifoot's with Angelina?"

"Can I be honest?" Fred asked.

Scarlett nodded. "Of course."

"It was terrible," Fred said bluntly.

Scarlett giggled. "Really? It was that bad?"

"That bad," Fred laughed. "There were too many decorations and too much pink. There were hearts everywhere….And do you want to know the sad bit?"

"What?" Scarlett asked.

"I'm not even quite sure they even decorated for Valentine's Day. I think those were the everyday decorations."

Scarlett laughed. "That _is_ sad. The least they can do is get into the spirit."

"Exactly!" Fred said, laughing. "Anyway, I kept my mouth shut to make Angelina happy, but it was hard. _So hard_."

"I'm sorry. Was the food good at least?" Scarlett asked hopefully.

Fred scrunched up his nose, closed his eyes and shook his head.

"No?" Scarlett asked, grinning.

"I'm pretty sure the tea was dirty dishwater. I'm even going to go as far as saying mine might have actually been dirty _bathwater_."

Scarlett stuck out her tongue as she pretended to gag. "That's gross."

"Never again," Fred said.

"What did Angelina think?" Scarlett asked. "If she enjoyed herself, then you really do need to get yourself out, vow or no vow."

"I don't think she enjoyed it much either, to be honest," Fred said. "She said it was an interesting experience and I agreed, but I think she only said that because she didn't want me to tease her about what a bad decision it was to go there."

"Good theory," Scarlett said with a smile.

"Personally," Fred said, smirking widely, "I think I should be given some kind of award for drinking dirty bathwater for my girlfriend's happiness."

Scarlett gave him a look. "Oh, please, you should be doing that all the time. What kind of gentleman are you?" she teased.

"The best kind," Fred retaliated. "Honestly, Scar, I hope you're good at making tea because there's no way I'm drinking bathwater tea ever again."

"That's too bad because that's all you'll be getting from me," Scarlett smirked, standing up and brushing herself off. With a cheeky grin and a wave, she darted out from under the tree.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Fred yelled from behind her.

Scarlett began running back towards the castle as fast as she could, but she wasn't fast enough. Fred caught up to her halfway there and grabbed her from behind, slipping an arm around her waist and spinning her around. Scarlett couldn't help but shriek with laughter.

"Take that back," Fred said, his own voice filled with laughter as he stopped spinning and held Scarlett against him with one hand, twirling his wand with the other.

"No," she retaliated.

"Well then you leave me no choice," Fred teased, lightly touching his wand to her neck.

"You wouldn't hex me," Scarlett said.

"Oh yeah?" Fred asked. "You sure?"

"Positive," she replied with a grin. "Admit it, Freddie, you like me too much to hex me."

Fred laughed quietly before letting her go and stepping away from her. "Okay, you win," he said with a smile.

Scarlett smiled and glanced down before looking up at Fred again. His cheeks were pink from running and from the cold and she was sure hers were the same. "Fred?"

"Mm?"

"Thanks," she said. "For talking to me."

"Anytime," he whispered, holding her gaze.

"We'd better get back inside," Scarlett said suddenly, tearing her eyes away and glancing towards the castle. "Dinner's probably starting soon."

"Yeah, you're right," Fred answered, clearing his throat.

They walked back to the castle in silence. "So, I'll, er, see you tomorrow? In Herbology?" Fred asked when they reached the entrance hall.

"Of course," Scarlett nodded. She smiled. "Make sure you don't drink any bathwater at dinner."

Fred laughed and rolled his eyes. "It may actually take me weeks to stop gagging."

"Poor you," Scarlett teased.

"Yeah, poor me," Fred responded.

"Oh, go hold your pity party somewhere else," Scarlett said, rolling her eyes.

"Gladly. You weren't invited anyway."

"Good."

"Yeah, good," Fred teased, stepping closer and looking down at her.

"I'm not afraid of you, Fred," Scarlett smirked.

"Want to rethink that?" Fred asked. "I can still hex you."

"I thought we already established that you wouldn't."

"Maybe I lied."

"You told me before lying to someone you cared about was always difficult."

"Maybe I'm just good at making it look easy," Fred answered, raising an eyebrow.

Scarlett opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, the dreaded sound of Umbridge clearing her throat came from behind her.

Fred looked up as Scarlett half looked over her shoulder, choosing to stare at the ground rather than towards Umbridge.

"I do believe you two are breaking one of my rules. You aren't supposed to be within eight inches of each other."

"Sorry," Scarlett muttered, taking a step back and blushing.

"No, don't be sorry," Fred said angrily, glaring at Umbridge. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's a dumb rule and we shouldn't have to obey it."

"Fred," Scarlett warned, shaking her head slightly. He ignored her and continued to glare at Umbridge.

"Well then, we'll see how stupid you think it is, Mr. Weasley, after your detention with me tomorrow night. Eight o'clock. My office."

"That's not fair," Scarlett said, finally looking up as her mouth dropped open.

"Would you like to join him?" Umbridge asked, raising an eyebrow.

Scarlett had half a mind to say that yes, she would join Fred in detention, but Umbridge's intimidating glare almost frightened her. Instead of answering, she looked away and chewed on her tongue.

"That's what I thought," Umbridge said. "Now I suggest you two head in to dinner at once."

Scarlett looked up at Fred, who was practically smoking at the ears. "Come on," she whispered, tugging on his sleeve and pulling him towards the great hall. "I had half a mind to tell her I'd go to detention with you," she whispered as they walked.

"I'm glad you didn't," Fred responded. "She's tortured you enough. You should be doing everything you can to stay away from her."

"I am, but she can't treat people like she has been. And I'd say she's tortured you enough, too. She's tortured _everyone_ way too much."

Fred smiled. "I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine. Promise. And don't try to apologize as if my getting a detention was your fault. It wasn't."

Scarlett sighed and turned towards the Hufflepuff table where she saw Justin waiting for her. "Okay, fine, I won't apologize," she said.

"Good," Fred smiled. "Now go sit down. Bird brain's waiting."

Scarlett let out a tiny laugh and shook her head. "You're mean."

"He's trying to keep an eye on you while making it seem like he doesn't care that you're talking to me," Fred whispered.

Scarlett nodded. "But he really does care."

Fred smiled. "As long as you know."

"Bye, Fred. And thanks again. For everything."

"Don't mention it," Fred said. "Now go before the Finch explodes. You don't want feathers in your pumpkin juice."

"Still better than bathwater."

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope."

"It wasn't real bathwater. You do know that, right?"

"No, I don't, and from what I gathered, neither do you." With that, Scarlett smirked and walked away to join Justin and Erica at the Hufflepuff table, leaving Fred laughing behind her.

* * *

**A/N: I think this may be the longest chapter I've written yet and hopefully that isn't an issue. It wasn't supposed to be this long but I added the ending last minute and it made this chapter longer than what I usually write. I hope everyone enjoys it! :)**


	24. Chapter 24

_"It doesn't matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you."_

**-The Witches (Roald Dahl)**

* * *

"Merlin, Scar, I know he's a catch, but you might want to blink now and then."

Scarlett jumped and looked up to see George standing a few feet away. She was at a table in the library, doing her homework and had gotten lost in thought when she had seen Fred, George and Angelina come in and sit a few tables over. Apparently, time had passed without her even realizing because now George was standing in front of her.

"Hi, George," she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Can I take a seat?" he asked. "You can stare at _me_ all you want." He winked dramatically.

Scarlett rolled her eyes and swung her foot under the table, pushing out the chair opposite her. "Go ahead."

"Thanks." George sat down and pulled out his books. "I just couldn't take being around the lovebirds any longer." He paused. "Sorry, are birds a weird subject for you?"

Scarlett smiled and rolled her eyes. "Only when Fred's making fun of Justin."

George smiled and sighed. "It's no fun being the single twin."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Why not?"

George shrugged. "I have to share him. He's my best friend and I don't like it."

"You'll have to share him with me eventually."

"Yeah, well, that we can't really control," George smirked. "And it's your own fault."

Scarlett tossed her quill at him.

"Easy now, you could've taken my eye out!"

Scarlett held back a giggle as Madame Pince loudly shushed them. "She's louder than us," Scarlett remarked. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Fred and Angelina glance at her and George curiously, but she didn't look up.

"Ironic, isn't it?" George smirked, watching Madame Pince turn back to shelving books. "She loves the quiet, but whenever she makes a sound, it's like Seamus trying to turn his water into rum all over again."

Scalett giggled. "I'm pretty sure that explosion made the windows of the great hall rattle."

"Exactly," George laughed. "Anyway, as for Fred, you know he's never really had a serious girlfriend before. Sharing him like this is weird for me."

"Georgie, Georgie," Scarlett teased, shaking her head. "I _know_ your mum taught you how to share."

George smiled. "Doesn't mean I like it."

"Fair enough. You know, you should go talk to Erica. She doesn't like being the single one either." Scarlett paused. "She deals with it better than you, though," she added.

"Yeah?" George asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Scarlett replied.

George was silent for a moment and Scarlett looked back down at her books, reaching over and taking her quill back from George, who was twirling it between his fingers.

"So," George piped up after a little while, "what were you so lost in thought about earlier?"

Scarlett bit her lip and looked over at Fred and Angelina, who were now whispering with their foreheads nearly touching. It didn't look like much work was getting done. Unless schoolwork was suddenly funny because now Angelina was laughing.

"Scar, what is it?" George asked gently.

"Does he love her?" she asked.

George turned in his seat to follow Scarlett's gaze. "I don't know. He hasn't mentioned anything to me."

"Would he?"

"I'd think so, yeah, but he hasn't said a thing, so I can't say for sure. He's never been in love before so I can't say from past experiences."

"Ah, but if he's one to not say anything, how would you know he's never been in love before?" Scarlett asked automatically.

George raised an eyebrow as he turned back to Scarlett. "Why do you care? Did _you_ fall in love with him? Ginny and Erica will have a field day."

"No," Scarlett answered, pausing. "It's just that, well, Justin told me he loved me last weekend."

"He did?" George raised his eyebrows again and let out a low whistle. "Wow, looks like things are getting serious."

Scarlett nodded. "Apparently. Don't tell Fred, though. I made Erica promise the same thing. I can't handle the teasing right now. Eventually, I'll let him know, but not now."

George nodded. "So, how did Justin tell you?"

"We were in the Three Broomsticks. He gave me a pair of earrings to go with my bracelet and then he told me how he felt."

"What did you say?"

"I told him I'm not there yet, which is true…."

"But…?" George prodded.

"But I feel like I could be and that I _should_ be, if I hadn't already had it in my mind that ultimately, I can't be with him. I mean, if he can fall in love with me in five and a half months, shouldn't I be able to fall in love with him?"

"Not necessarily," George said. "Even if there was no vow, you might've fallen in love with him later than he fell in love with you. People fall in love at different speeds. I mean, this might not be the best example, but when Fred and I were almost two and Ron came along, we hated him. Well, maybe we didn't _hate_ him, but we didn't want to be kicked out of the position of youngest children just yet. We didn't want everyone's attention on someone else, especially the little troll that was baby Ron."

"George," Scarlett laughed. "And that's different. It's normal for older siblings to feel weird when a new baby comes along."

George shrugged. "Anyway, we got used to it."

"And you grew to love him," Scarlett said, "because he's your brother."

"No," George said seriously. "We still aren't too fond of him." He finally broke into a smile. "My point is that sometimes you don't love people right away even if they love you and even if you have it somewhere in your mind that you _should_ love them. And that's okay. I'm sure Justin's in no rush for you to say it back. At least, I don't think he is."

"I just feel…conflicted. I feel like I can't let myself love Justin because it'll break my heart as much as his when I have to leave him for Fred. I'm already having a hard time telling him. This is why I shouldn't have waited." She groaned and buried her head in her hands.

"Hey," George said, reaching over and pulling Scarlett's hands away from her face. "You'll tell Justin when you're ready. Fred will tell Angelina when _he's_ ready. For now, just don't worry."

"I _have_ to worry."

"You have enough to worry about without adding this to it," George said.

"You're right," Scarlett agreed, resting her elbow on the table and her cheek on her hand. "I've been beginning to study for the NEWTs. Is that what you're doing?" She gestured to the books on the table in front of George.

"Not really. I only brought my books to make it look like I was. Madame Pince won't let me and Fred in here if we're doing anything prank or joke related because of what happened fifth year."

"What happened fifth year?"

"We broke one of the legs off the tables trying to invent our first product. She's kind of hated us ever since."

"Really?" Scarlett asked, wrinkling her nose. "I mean it was only a table leg. Easily fixable."

George laughed. "Exactly. Anyway, Fred and I…well, we were going to work on inventions on the sly while Angelina did her homework. She promised not to be a distraction, but…." George shrugged and trailed off, grinning at Scarlett.

"You should have seen that one coming, George," Scarlett laughed.

"You're right, I should have."

"Well, you're welcome to study with me."

"All right." George let out a sigh as he rested his cheek on his hand and absentmindedly flipped through his Charms book. "I can't believe this is what it's come to. I'm _studying_ because my twin is too busy to invent things with me."

"It'll be okay, George," Scarlett laughed, patting his hand. "It'll all be okay."

"Yeah, right back at you," George smiled. Scarlett looked up and half-smiled back, hoping that he was right.

* * *

February soon turned into March and Scarlett was still managing to keep out of Umbridge's way, but just barely. She still got the feeling that Umbridge was waiting for her to mess up so that she could lock her in another classroom.

She wasn't the only one trying to behave, though. Harry, Scarlett had heard, was trying to stay out of the toad's way as well to avoid getting detention. Besides having to write with the awful quill, detention would result in him missing Quidditch practices, and in turn, _that_ would result in an angry Angelina.

"She's channeling Wood, I swear," Fred muttered in Herbology one day in mid-March. "It's bloody annoying. I'm dating Angelina to actually date Angelina, not Angelina with a side of Wood."

"Why, what's going on?" Scarlett asked.

"Harry's going to miss another week's worth of practices. He got more detentions with Umbridge after she found out about his Quibbler interview."

"Ah," Scarlett nodded. Almost the entire Great Hall had heard the exchange between Umbridge and Harry at breakfast the other day.

"So Angelina made us all get up extra early this morning to practice as punishment," George continued, "and we think she's going to continue doing that all week so that even Harry will be able to make it."

"At least she's not doing evening practices on top of it," Erica shrugged.

George shushed her. "Don't jinx it!"

Erica rolled her eyes and went back to what she was doing.

Scarlett caught George's eye and smiled. "Don't take it personally," she said. "Erica's always crabby."

"I am not!" Erica answered defiantly. "I am very nice especially to you and especially this year. I've held my tongue every time I've had to share you with Justin." She smirked to show she was teasing.

"See?" Scarlett said to George. "I told you."

"Told him what?" Erica asked.

"I told him that you handle having to share much better than he does."

"Of course I do," Erica sniffed, grinning.

"And Scarlett calls _me_ bigheaded," Fred snorted. He looked at George. "Aw, does George not like having to share me with Angie?" he teased as George rolled his eyes.

"Scarlett and I _studied_ together, Fred. _I_ studied. _I studied_! Me!"

"So why were you in the library that day in the first place?" Scarlett asked.

"Inventing," Fred said.

"_Trying_ to," George muttered.

"Yeah, I know, that's what you said, but," Scarlett turned to Fred, "it didn't look like _you_ were inventing _or_ doing homework. You were too busy talking to Angelina."

"So you were watching me?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, because I have absolutely nothing better to do with my life than stare at you." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I guess I'm wondering why you'd ever choose the library to invent things in the first place. Even though you got nothing done, which is ironic because that is the purpose of the library after all."

"Well, when we were younger we did it because it was a good place to work on our pranks. Some people like a quiet place to do homework, we liked a quiet place to plan pranks. Then, when we were doing things that caused a lot of noise, we'd usually go somewhere else, but sometimes we wouldn't-,"

"Which led to the incident in fifth year that I told you about," George finished.

"And yesterday Angelina insisted we go there," Fred shrugged. "She wanted to spend time with me, but she had to study, so the library was really our only option because Angelina was insisting she wouldn't be able to get anything done in the common room. That reminds me, though….Why wasn't the Finch studying with you?"

"We aren't attached at the hip you know," Scarlet answered. "He was playing Exploding Snap in the common room with Ernie."

"I see," Fred answered.

"Why do you care?" Scarlett asked

"Just curious," Fred answered. "I'd have thought he wouldn't let you out of his sight with scary things like Umbridge and, you know, me lurking around."

"Oh, please." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "For the most part I've managed to stay out of Umbridge's way since after the holidays and you aren't all that scary. You also know that Justin's _trying_ to be understanding about me and you being friends."

"Don't you think it's a little odd that you haven't gotten into any trouble with Umbridge in a while?" Fred asked slowly.

Scarlett and Erica looked at each other in confusion. "No," Scarlett shrugged. "I've been too relieved. Why would it be odd?"

"Well, she goes from singling you out and treating you really unfairly to not doing anything at all. I mean, what about that day back in February, when she gave me a detention?"

"What about it?" Scarlett asked.

"I honestly didn't think you'd make it out without getting one too. It was all too easy for her to give you one but she didn't. I didn't really say anything because I wasn't sure and I didn't want to worry you, but she's probably planning something else to ruin your life. Something big."

"That's ridiculous," Scarlett said, letting out a laugh. "Why would you think that?"

"Because it's odd," Fred said. "She went from being downright evil to almost completely laying low."

"And why does that mean she's planning something big?" Scarlett asked. "Maybe she just gave up."

Fred shook his head. "I don't think so. There have been plenty of times when George and I have been planning a big prank on someone and before we do, we lay off on all of the little pranks so that the big prank is more of a surprise."

"We're not talking about pranks, though, Fred," Scarlett sighed.

"It's the same context."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is. Trust me."

Scarlett didn't answer him. Instead, she just chewed on her lip in thought.

"I thought you did trust me," Fred said. "You told me you did."

"I do _trust_ you, but I don't know if I can bring myself to believe that Umbridge is planning something big and completely evil, especially towards me. I haven't done a single thing to her."

"Why?"

"Why haven't I done something to her?"

"No, why can't you believe she's planning something?"

"I don't know," Scarlett sighed. "I mean, is she really that devious?"

"Yes," both twins answered at once. "Haven't you noticed or are you blind?"

"She _is_ an adult, you know," Scarlett said.

"A crazy adult. Just because she is a grown up doesn't mean she has to act like one," Fred said.

"Yes, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" Scarlett smirked.

"True, but we aren't _technically_ adults," Fred said, grinning at George.

"You're of age, aren't you? And you act like children," Scarlett smirked.

"Yes, it is true that we're of age," Fred said, "but technically, we're still teenagers. They don't call it seven_teen_ for nothing."

"No, I suppose not," Scarlett answered.

"Anyway, my point is," Fred said, "that you should just watch out, okay?"

"Okay," Scarlett agreed slowly, wondering if Fred and George really could be on to something.

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter isn't as eventful as some of the others and it's almost more of a filler but I'd say it's still pretty important. **

**Thanks for reading and thank you for all of the awesome feedback!**


	25. Chapter 25

"_Ladies don't start fights, but they can finish them!" _

**-Marie (The Aristocats)**

* * *

"Who do you think's going to win the match?" Scarlett asked as she and Justin made their way down to the Quidditch pitch for the Slytherin versus Gryffindor match a few weeks later. Erica had volunteered to watch the match with Ernie and Hannah again so that Justin and Scarlett could have more time alone.

"I don't know, I'm going to bet on Gryffindor," Justin said. "It'll be a lot better than the Slytherins winning and besides, the Gryffindor team _is_ very good."

"Fred will be flattered you think so," Scarlett teased.

"His head will get even bigger," Justin groaned, half-joking as he clapped a hand to his forehead.

Scarlett smiled. She had to admit, that Justin _had_ been making an attempt to be nicer and more understanding about Fred and that made her feel better. He still didn't understand why Scarlett and the twins had rekindled their friendship that year so 'out of the blue' as he had put it, but Scarlett had tone her best to avoid explaining. She kept it vague, simply saying that she had spent time with the Weasleys over the summer because of the Order.

"Come on, he's really not all that bigheaded. He just acts like he is to be funny."

"You've teased him about being bigheaded."

"To be funny," Scarlett said.

"Yeah, and that's what I'm doing, too," Justin said. "It was a joke."

"Partly," Scarlett said, smiling knowingly.

Justin blushed slightly and smiled guiltily at her. "Sorry, can't help it."

Scarlett giggled and swatted him playfully, causing Justin to break out into a real smile.

"Who are _you_ hoping will win?" Justin asked as they took their seats in the stands. "Gryffindor, I suppose?"

Scarlett nodded. "Of course. I'd be mental to support Slytherin."

"It's too late for that. I'd say you're already pretty mental." An obnoxious voice spoke from behind them, followed by laughter.

"Pansy Parkinson," Scarlett muttered, turning around. Justin looked as if he wanted to say something, but Scarlett spoke up before he could. She could handle Pansy easily. "Wow, Pansy, good one. I'm laughing _so_ hard." She rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't a joke," Pansy sneered, looking at Scarlett as though she were stupid.

"Really? Oh, that's a relief because if it _was_ a joke, it wouldn't have been a very good one, would it?"

"That's the best comeback you've got?"

"Of course not, but why would I waste my best ones on someone like you?"

Pansy scowled before heading away with the other Slytherins she was with. Scarlett smirked and turned around to face the pitch again. "I hope Fred and George beat Bludgers into every Slytherin player's head," she stated. "It'll really put Pansy in her place."

"I can't believe she had the nerve to talk to you like that." Justin glared after Pansy angrily.

Scarlett shrugged. "It's Pansy. What do you expect? And it really could have been worse. That was practically her being nice."

"You seemed to be able to handle her all on your own." Justin grinned at Scarlett amusedly. "Honestly, you don't even need me around to stand up for you. I don't even know why you keep me around at all." He sighed dramatically.

"Oh, please." Scarlett swatted him. She put on a mock-serious face. "I keep you around so you can correct the mistakes on my Arithmancy homework."

"_What_ mistakes on your Arithmancy homework? You hardly ever have any! You just doubt yourself too much."

"You're very good at Arithmancy, though."

"Not nearly as good as you. It wouldn't be possible."

Scarlett didn't get a chance to respond because the match started before she could speak. Just as she suspected, the Slytherin players played brutally. Scarlett began to lose count of how many penalties were awarded to Gryffindor due to the Slytherins trying to knock players off their brooms or hit them with Bludgers and occasionally their fists. Scarlett had also never heard so many curse words during the commentary, but that might have also been because Professor McGonagall wasn't making any effort to prevent Lee from shouting them out.

"On the bright side," Justin said loudly, leaning closer to Scarlett in order to be heard over the noise of the crowd, "Ron's playing quite well under the circumstances, don't you think?"

Scarlett nodded. The circumstances Justin was talking about were that the Slytherin fans were just as evil and as brutal as the players, but then again, what else was new? The fans were singing—they could barely be heard, but it was singing nonetheless. The song was clearly meant for Ron, claiming that he couldn't save a thing and always let the Quaffle in.

"This is ridiculous," Scarlett said, peeking through her fingers. "If Harry doesn't catch the snitch soon, Gryffindor's going to get flattened."

"Literally or metaphorically?" Justin asked, watching nervously as Marchus Flint almost knocked Katie Bell off of her broom.

"Both," Scarlett answered, biting her lip.

Within the next twenty minutes—twenty excruciating minutes—the match was over and Gryffindor had managed to win, all thanks to Harry catching the snitch. Unfortunately, he caught it just as Crabbe hit him square in the back with a Bludger. Even worse, the brutality didn't end there.

"What's going on now?" Justin asked just as he and Scarlett were leaving the stands. He began craning his neck to see the pitch better.

Scarlett paused and stood on her tiptoes. The entire Gryffindor team, minus Ron, was grouped on one side of the pitch, celebrating their victory. Or trying to, at least. Many of them were glaring at someone standing a few feet away. Suddenly, Fred lunged forward. Angelina, Katie and Alicia grabbed him and held him back just as George sprang forward and was grabbed by Harry. "They're clearly upset over something," Scarlett said. "A Slytherin is probably taunting them."

"Yeah, look, it's Malfoy," Justin said, pointing.

Scarlett groaned. "That stupid ferret," she muttered. "He's going to get someone in trouble." She began trying to force her way through the crowd while Justin followed her, giving a constant report of what was going on.

"Malfoy's still saying something. The girls are still holding Fred back, but he's fighting them…uh-oh."

"What is it?"

"Harry let go of George. They're both charging at Malfoy. It looks like the girls have got a pretty strong grip on Fred though, although it looks as if he's putting up some fight."

Scarlett sighed. "When Madame Hooch sees them, she's not going to be happy. They're going to get in trouble for fighting."

"It looks like they're getting Malfoy pretty good!" Justin cried. "He's had a good punch in the nose coming for a long time if you ask me. What do you think he was saying?"

"No idea, but he's annoyed because his team lost. He's just a sore loser."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to investigate." Scarlett began pushing her way through the crowd again.

"You know," Justin said as he fought to keep up with her, "this is what I mean about Fred and George being reckless."

"You can't really blame them this time. Malfoy was provoking them. I don't even want to know what he said, to be honest."

"Yes, but certainly they can control themselves."

"Would you?" Scarlett asked, glancing back at Justin, who fell silent.

When Scarlett and Justin finally reached the grass of the pitch, they ran into Harry and George, who were glumly walking back towards the castle.

"What happened?" Scarlett took in George's cut lip and Harry's bruising cheek.

"Malfoy was having a go at my family," George said miserably. "Insulted my mum and Harry's, too. And _he _was the one who wrote that Weasley Is Our King song."

"Well, no wonder it was complete rubbish," Scarlett muttered. George and Harry both cracked the tiniest of smiles.

"Hooch sent us to McGonagall's office," Harry added. "We'd better be going."

Scarlett watched them go, feeling terribly sorry for the two of them. Although, she doubted McGonagall would be _too_ strict on them.

"Scar, look." Justin nudged her and pointed. Umbridge was heading into the castle as well, an ugly smile on her face as she scribbled away on the clipboard in her hand.

Scarlett glanced at Justin. "They're done for," she whispered.

* * *

"Someone's in a bad mood," Scarlett commented as Fred and George walked into Herbology on Monday morning and plopped their bags on the ground, identical frowns on their faces.

"We've been in a bad mood since Saturday," George muttered.

"Because of what Malfoy said?" Scarlett asked, surprised. It wasn't like Fred and George to let insults affect them so severely, especially from someone like Malfoy. Either he had really insulted them or something else was wrong.

"Not exactly," Fred said, sharing a look with his brother. "George, Harry and I have been banned from playing Quidditch."

"What?" Erica asked. "McGonagall's off her rocker if she-,"

"Not McGonagall…Umbridge. I saw her following Harry and George inside," Scarlett said as it all clicked. "But, Fred," she continued, "you didn't even do anything wrong."

"Umbridge said he would have if he hadn't been held back by Katie, Alicia and Angelina," George said glumly.

"She's right, though," Fred shrugged. "I would've torn that snarky little ferret to bits."

"You would've, but you didn't," Erica said.

"Exactly, there's a difference," Scarlett added.

"Yeah, I mean, I _would've _clawed toad face's eyes out, but I didn't," George said. "Fred doesn't deserve to be banned."

"And you and Harry do?" Scarlett asked.

"We're the ones who actually hit Malfoy," George mumbled.

"Malfoy was insulting you and your families. He was provoking you. I would've done the same thing you did."

"That would be fun to watch," Fred said, smirking. "I mean, you? Starting a fight?"

"I wouldn't have _started_ it. Technically, Malfoy would have," Scarlett sniffed. "I would have simply finished it."

"Oh, of course," Fred smirked. "How silly of me that I didn't figure it out."

"You know," Erica said as if she had just thought of something, "it really isn't fair because it's your last year on the Quidditch team, too."

"Thanks for the reminder," George grumbled. "With Umbridge around, and _without _Quidditch, things are kind of miserable here. If it wasn't for the D.A. then we'd be out of here by now."

"What do you mean, out of here?" Scarlett asked, her expression showing equal amounts of confusion and surprise.

"He means exactly that," Fred said. "We're so close to buying a place in Diagon Alley, so if we need to leave, we can-,"

"A place," Scarlett repeated.

"Yes, Scar, a place. A place of our own. Keep up, why don't you?" Fred teased.

"You're buying your own place to live?"

"Yeah, the place we want is a flat with a shop area below it where we'll sell our joke products," Fred said. "It's down towards the end of Diagon Alley. Number ninety-three to be exact. We're thinking of signing on it soon. Then we're going to have to spruce it up and stock it. You know, get it ready for business, which will take a few months."

"We're estimating it'll be done in mid-May, early June at the latest," George added.

"And then, what, you'll leave Hogwarts?"

"Not necessarily," Fred shrugged, "but if we decide on it, then we have somewhere to go," Fred said. "We couldn't go back to the Burrow. Mum wouldn't let us stay there after we'd just left school."

"Basically, we're prepared to leave school if we have to. There's nothing set in stone yet." George shrugged.

"What ends up deciding if you have to go?" Erica asked.

"First and foremost, it's the D.A. ending," Fred said. "Without that, there's nothing really keeping us here. Secondly, Umbridge might just get to be too much for even us to handle. It'll be hysterical to bust out of here and get her riled up."

"What about NEWTs?" Scarlett asked.

The twins shrugged. "We're not really fussed about grades," Fred said. "We've learned all we need to make our products. If we left, you'd be more than welcome to come along and work with us. You'd be incredibly useful." He smirked widely at her.

"No way," Scarlett said. "As much as I hate Umbridge, I can't leave early. I actually _need_ to pass my classes and my NEWTs."

"Well, if you fail everything, you're always welcome to come be our assistant at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" Erica raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, the future name of our shop," George said proudly. "What do you think?"

"It's…okay," Erica sniffed. Scarlett rolled her eyes. She knew Erica liked the name and was just trying to mess with the twins the same way they liked to mess with everyone else.

"Okay? Just okay? That's a blow to the ego."

"I know, that's why I said it," Erica said coolly.

"So do you like it or not?" Fred asked wrinkling his nose in confusion.

"She does," Scarlett jumped in. "I do, too, actually."

"Catchy, isn't it?" Fred agreed with a grin.

"You're so proud of yourself, aren't you?" Scarlett asked, smirking.

"Yeah, I am. Why, is it a problem?" Fred asked teasing her right back.

"No," Scarlett answered, her teasing expression fading to be replaced by a smile. "You two really should be proud. I'm actually kind of proud of you myself."

"Scar, you're making us tear up," George said, wiping imaginary tears from his eyes.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want to be our assistant?" Fred asked. "Even if you don't help with inventions, a supportive attitude like yours is always needed. You can stand outside dressed as a giant Extendable Ear and yell out good things about us."

"No way," Scarlett answered as the twins laughed. "The only way I'll do that is if, like you said, I fail everything and can no longer become a Healer…or anything else for that matter, because there's no way I want to stand out in _public_ dressed as an ear."

"If you do become a Healer, will you heal any injuries George and I may get for free?"

"No, I don't think I'd be able to."

"For a lifetime supply of merchandise?"

"No, Fred, that would go against St. Mungo's rules," Scarlett laughed.

"You sure about that?"

"Yes, I am."

"You're not as much fun as I thought you were," Fred pouted.

"Well, you're an idiot," Scarlett retaliated, smacking him upside the head.

* * *

**A/N: This is kind of another filler chapter but in the next chapter, Scarlett will find out if the prediction the twins made about Umbridge is true so just bear with me here. **

**Also, just to ask for some opinions, what would people feel about a George/Erica relationship somewhere down the line? Would it be cute? Corny? It probably wouldn't have too major of a part in the story but I just wanted to know if anyone had a strong opinion on that.**

**Thanks so much for reading and thank you for all the feedback!**


	26. Chapter 26

"_Close your mouth, please, Michael, we are not a codfish." _

–**Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins)**

* * *

"So have you mastered your patronus yet?" Scarlett asked as she passed Fred at the start of the next D.A. meeting. Harry had instructed them to get into pairs to review everything they'd learned since the beginning.

"No," Fred said dejectedly.

"Has George?"

"Yes, I have," George said proudly, coming up behind them.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"A hyena."

"Do you think yours will be the same?" Scarlett asked Fred.

He shrugged. "I have no idea. I'd like to figure it out, though." His face suddenly lit up. "Hey, you should help me! Be my partner this week. It's my week to partner with George and he won't mind."

"Well, who's Erica going to partner with?" Scarlett asked, glancing over at her friend. It was their turn to be partners that week while Justin partnered with Ernie.

"George, of course," Fred answered.

Scarlett looked at Erica and sighed. "Do you mind?"

Erica hesitated before shaking her head. "No, I'll work with George."

"Brilliant," Fred said, grabbing Scarlett's arm and dragging her to a spot in the middle of the room as George and Erica followed and chose a spot next to them.

Scarlett caught Justin's eye as she took her position across from Fred. He raised his eyebrows at her and she shook her head and mouthed "We'll talk later."

"Who are you—oh." Fred looked over his shoulder and saw Justin staring at him. He turned quickly back to Scarlett. "Is he going to give you a hard time later for working with me?"

"Hopefully not. He _has_ been trying to not be so..."

"Stupid?" Fred finished.

"No," Scarlett answered. "Why do you pick on him so much?"

"I told you to ask me in a few years," Fred grinned. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it's only been a few months."

Scarlett sighed. "Will you even tell me in a few years?"

Fred looked at her for a moment. "I solemnly swear."

"Okay." Scarlett took a deep breath. "Now let's start on the Patronus, shall we?"

"Right," Fred nodded. "How did you manage to make yours? I can't seem to get anything more than mist. Sometimes it seems to take a shape, but not well enough."

"The memories you're picking don't seem to be happy or strong enough. Either that or you're not concentrating as hard as you should be."

"Okay," Fred said. "I'll give it a try, then."

"Go on," Scarlett urged.

Fred chewed on the inside of his cheek, clearly thinking of a memory. Finally, he flicked his wand. "Expecto Patronum!" Nothing happened. There was just mist.

"Your Patronus _could_ just be a cloud," Scarlett suggested hopefully. "Maybe you've been doing it right all along."

Fred sighed dejectedly. "I can't do this."

"Try a different memory." Scarlett suggested.

"I don't know what memory to pick. I've used all the happy ones I could think of."

"Don't be so dramatic. I know you have more," Scarlett said. "There's no way you could have used all of your happy memories already. Concentrate really hard."

Fred started chewing on the inside of his cheek again. "Okay, I have one, but I really don't know if it'll work."

"Try it," Scarlett said.

Fred looked at her for a moment before giving it another shot. He grinned when a fox leapt out of his wand and ran circles around him. "I did it!" he exclaimed.

"You did!" Scarlett cried happily. "What was the memory you used?"

Fred blinked a few times. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. "I—it was-"

"Never mind," Scarlett said with a smile. "It was probably Angelina related. I don't need to hear it."

They stared at each other for a moment until George came over to congratulate Fred. Angelina even ran over from across the room, squealing about how adorable Fred's Patronus was. She threw her arms around Fred and he hugged her back, but he was still staring at Scarlett, who smiled and backed away to stand next to Erica.

"Don't you think it's odd," Erica began as Fred finally looked at Angelina and grinned before talking to her and George animatedly, "that Fred asked _you_ to help him when he could have just as well asked George, Angelina, or even me for that matter?"

"No, it's not odd," Scarlett said quickly, knowing where Erica was going with this.

"It is," said a voice from behind them. Scarlett turned around to see Ginny standing there.

"Oh no," Scarlett groaned, "don't tell me you two have decided to play matchmaker together."

"You're trying to convince her and Fred to give each other a shot, too?" Erica asked.

Ginny nodded. "I want them to love each other if they're going to have to get married."

"Me, too," Erica nodded.

"Well, sometimes that doesn't happen," Scarlett said. "You don't have to make things up so that I'll think Fred likes me."

"That's not what I was doing," Erica said calmly. "Ginny and I want you and Fred to be happy. I honestly think it's odd that Fred chose you out of all the people he could have asked for help."

"He's friends with me. Maybe he felt the most comfortable asking me."

"More comfortable than asking his twin or his girlfriend?" Ginny asked.

"Maybe he would have been embarrassed to ask them for help."

Ginny and Erica shook their heads and sighed.

"If Fred liked me, he wouldn't even _be_ with Angelina. He would have said something to me by now."

"Not necessarily," Erica said. "He knows you're with Justin. Telling you would complicate things."

"You're losing it, Erica," Scarlett laughed.

"Fine, but it's just what I think."

Suddenly, the chatter in the room died down. After a moment, Scarlett saw why. Dobby was running as fast as he could towards Harry, looking panicked.

"Dobby?" Harry asked. "What's wrong?"

"She knows," Dobby practically wailed. "Dobby has come to warn Harry Potter and his friends that _she_ knows and she's coming to punish everyone."

"_Who_ knows? And about what? The DA?" Harry asked, clearly trying to process Dobby's warning.

Dobby nodded. "_She _knows," he said again.

"Umbridge?" Harry asked, his eyes going wide. Dobby nodded again.

"She's on her way," he squeaked.

Everyone in the room was standing frozen in place by now. Finally, Harry seemed to find his voice again. "Run!"

Nobody needed to be told twice. They all took off for the exit as fast as they could. Scarlett tried to find Justin and Erica in the commotion, but it was impossible. All she could do was make a run for her common room and hope everyone made it back safely.

Umbridge and the Inquisitorial Squad were quick. They were just approaching the Room of Requirement as the D.A. was leaving. Scarlett ran as fast as she could, not once looking over her shoulder even though she desperately wanted to. She was a little surprised when she made it back to her common room without being caught. Neither Justin nor Erica were back yet when she got there, but they returned within a few seconds.

"Thank goodness Dobby came to warn us," Erica said breathlessly, collapsing into a chair, "or else we would've all been caught."

"I don't know. Something seems weird," Scarlett said. Justin took a seat on the couch and she sat next to him, leaning against his side.

"Like what?" he asked her as Ernie and Hannah entered the room and took seats near them.

"We got back here too easily," Scarlett said, biting on one of her fingernails and staring into the fire. "That makes me think that Umbridge was the most concerned with catching Harry."

"I really want to know who told her about the D.A.," Justin fumed. "Nobody besides the members knew about the Room of Requirement and that we held our meetings there, so it had to be a D.A. member."

"Hermione charmed the signup sheet," Ernie said, "so that we'd know if someone betrayed us. I don't know what'll happen to them, but we'll find out tomorrow."

"How do you know that?" Scarlett asked.

"I overheard her telling Harry and Ron about it after the very first meeting," Ernie answered.

"I wonder if Umbridge caught Harry," Justin said.

"She did," Hannah whispered sadly.

"What?" Scarlett practically shrieked, sitting up straight. Justin shushed her gently and pulled her back against him.

"Well, Ernie and I were two of the last to leave, actually," Hannah said, "and when we were running away, we saw Harry running as well and he was hit by a spell Malfoy shot at him. He fell and Malfoy caught up to him. I'm guessing he brought him straight to Umbridge."

Scarlett groaned. "He's going to be in so much trouble."

"It gets worse," Ernie said. "Umbridge got into the Room of Requirement and found the list of everyone's names. We're _all_ in trouble even if we got away just now."

His words were met with complete silence.

"We're all going to be expelled," Erica finally groaned.

"She can't _expel_ us," Scarlett answered, shaking her head. "She may be the High Inquisitor, or whatever it is she calls herself, but Dumbledore is still headmaster."

She had no idea that at that moment, her last statement was becoming very untrue.

* * *

By the time breakfast arrived the next morning, everyone in the D.A. knew who had betrayed them. Cho's friend, Marietta, had several boils covering her face that spelled out the word _sneak_.

"I never liked her, anyway," Justin said, glaring over at the Ravenclaw table, where Marietta was attempting to cover her face with her collar.

Scarlett half-smiled. "Of course not," she said. Just then, with the mail, pink notes appeared in both Justin and Scarlett's plates.

"Detention?" Justin asked Scarlett as she read her note.

She nodded. "I'm assuming everyone in the D.A. got one of these," she replied dully, looking down at the note in her hands. She looked up and glanced around the room. Sure enough, every single member of the D.A. had received a note from Umbridge, written in hot pink ink on frilly light pink parchment. "Tonight at seven here in the great hall," she added, looking at Justin.

"Ah, well, at least it's better than being expelled. It could be a lot worse," Justin reasoned.

"I suppose so, but I've already had a few detentions with her. You've only had one that lasted for four hours. You practically got off easy." Scarlett tossed the note onto the table and prodded it with her wand until it caught on fire. Sighing, she extinguished it after a few seconds.

"Harry," Justin suddenly said. Scarlett looked up to see Harry glumly passing by their table.

"How are you?" Scarlett asked gently.

Harry shrugged. "I've been worse, I suppose. I'm sorry you had to get in trouble."

"Don't worry about it," Scarlett assured him. "We're just glad you got off with a detention the same as we did. We thought you were done for."

"Lucky that Dumbledore defended us," Justin added.

"Yeah, but doing so practically forced him to leave," Harry said, "and now we're stuck with _that_ for a headmistress." He jerked his chin towards Umbridge, sitting in Dumbledore's chair and looking extremely smug.

"I might actually be sick," Scarlett said. It had been sickening to wake up to the decree stating Umbridge's new position and it was sickening now to watch her in action.

"Agreed," Harry and Justin muttered. After a moment, Harry said goodbye and headed out the door.

Scarlett sighed. "Come on, we'll both be late for class if we don't leave soon."

Justin nodded and stood up before pulling Scarlett up as well. He threw an arm around her and kissed her temple. Suddenly, they were forced apart. Scarlett looked up just in time to see Umbridge smirking and tucking her wand away. "We're not supposed to be within eight inches of each other," Scarlett muttered, glaring at Umbridge. "I forgot."

"She can't do this," Justin said angrily.

"She can and she is. She was doing it while she was High Inquisitor and now she's headmistress. No one's above her except for Fudge, and he's on her side."

"You know what?" Justin said as they walked out of the great hall, "I'm actually glad you pranked her, even if you did do it with Fred and George. I'm only sorry there wasn't more lasting damage."

Scarlett snorted as they stopped at the foot of the stairs. "So, I'll see you later, then?" she said.

Justin nodded. "I'll see you at lunch…then at dinner, and then at—"

"Our detention," Scarlett finished with a sigh. "Can't wait."

Justin half-smiled and kissed her. "We'll be fine," he assured her.

Scarlett nodded. "I know."

* * *

Any second, Scarlett's hands were going to fall off. Both of them. Her right hand ached from writing lines for nearly four hours and her left hand stung from the newly opened cuts on her skin.

Biting her lip, she glanced to her left. Justin was at the next desk over, looking angrily down at his paper. She hadn't been able to catch his eye once. Probably because everyone was too afraid to look up in case Umbridge spotted them.

Erica was on Scarlett's other side, looking as if she was going to chew her lip off any second. A few of the younger kids who had had little to no detentions up until now were sniffling occasionally. Even a few of the older students had watering eyes from the constant sting in the back of their hand.

Finally, Umbridge stood up and cleared her throat. "I think that is enough for tonight. You may go."

There was a lot of shuffling as the room began to empty—and quickly, too. Everyone wanted to get out as fast as possible. Scarlett caught up with Justin and Erica, who was holding her hand stiffly with her fingers spread apart. "It hurts if I move it," she said.

"It's too bad only Hermione has murtlap ingredients," Scarlett sighed. "There's no way she can get some to every D.A. member and even if she could, she might not even have enough."

"Well, _you_ could always get some," Justin said bitterly. "Fred always takes care of you, doesn't he?"

Scarlett shot him a look. "I don't expect him to and he didn't offer tonight, so I'll be suffering just like you."

Justin looked guilty and was about to utter an apology when the three of them rounded the corner and stopped short. Fred and George were kneeling beside a bench occupied by a young Gryffindor boy from the D.A.

"Speak of the devil," Justin muttered, but Scarlett shushed him so that she could hear what the twins were saying.

"It's not that bad," George whispered to the boy. "This was only your first detention. The cuts will fade before you know it."

"Yeah, look, ours are starting to fade already," Fred added, holding out his left hand as the boy continued to sniffle.

Scarlett smiled to herself. She knew there was no way Fred and George's cuts could be fading already. They had received enough detentions where the cuts would never completely fade.

Just then, a familiar noise that Scarlett had come to dread sounded from behind her. She, Erica and Justin whirled around and backed up a few steps when they realized Umbridge was behind them. Scarlett could hear Fred and George scrambling to their feet and turning to face Umbridge as well.

"As I've said before," she said in her high pitched voice, "naughty children deserve to be punished." She let out a giggle as she was met with nothing but silence. She looked at the twins and the young boy. "Why are you three out so far away from your common room? Are you aware that you are down near the _Hufflepuff_ common room instead?"

"Yeah, we were—we'll just—we'll go," Fred stuttered, glancing at George.

Scarlett sent them a sympathetic smile. She thought she knew why they were down here. The kitchens were in this hallway. They had probably been going to get a late night snack and planning to bring the boy with them to cheer him up.

"Come on," George whispered to the boy, putting a hand on his shoulder. The boy stood up and the twins began to walk away with him in tow.

"Oh, and Miss Callaway," Umbridge said, "I'm glad I caught up to you. I'd like a word, if you please."

"Why? She hasn't done anything!" Justin cried as Erica raised an eyebrow at Umbridge. Even Fred and George paused as they passed Umbridge on the way back to the entrance hall.

"Move along," Umbridge told them cheerily. She turned to Justin and Erica. "You two may proceed to your common room as well. Miss Callaway, please come with me."

Feeling extremely anxious, Scarlett followed Umbridge all the way back to her office in an awkward silence. When they finally got there, Umbridge stood behind her desk and looked at Scarlett.

"You aren't going to make me write more lines, are you?" Scarlett asked, unable to stop herself.

"No," Umbridge said with a tiny smirk. "But as your professor, it is my duty to inform you that you are currently not passing my class."

"What?" Scarlett spluttered. "That's not possible."

"It is," Umbridge said, trying to be sympathetic. It didn't work. "I am your professor after all, so I would know. And, as I'm sure you realize, this means that you will not be able to become a Healer. You can't without a passing grade."

"But my NEWTs—as long as I pass my Defense Against the Dark Arts exam—that's what really matters, isn't it?"

"You can take the exam, but it won't do much good. Those exams do not count towards the class grade. You will still be failing my class."

"But to be a Healer, Defense Against the Dark Arts isn't necessarily _needed_. Potions, Transfiguration and Charms, yes, but-,"

"All classes are important to become a Healer, Miss Callaway. A Healer is a very demanding job that requires very good grades."

"If I work extra hard—do extra credit—"

"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do. I'd suggest you choose another career option."

Scarlett stared at her with her mouth hanging open. She was at a complete loss for words.

"I'd also suggest you close your mouth," Umbridge said quietly, a small smile on her lips. "One might think this has come as a shock."

"But it has!" Scarlett finally managed to say.

Umbridge gave her a fake-sympathetic smile. "There's nothing I can do," she repeated. "Perhaps you should speak with Professor Sprout, your head of house, about picking a new career option that you will be better suited for."

"Oh, I will most definitely be talking to her," Scarlett huffed, turning towards the door.

"Goodnight, Miss Callaway," Umbridge said with a girly giggle.

"Goodnight, Professor," Scarlett muttered through gritted teeth. She flung the door open and began angrily walking back to her common room. There was no way she was failing Defense Against the Dark Arts. She had done all of her homework, attended every class and managed to hold her tongue every time Umbridge said something ridiculous. Besides, how could the NEWTs not matter? True, they didn't count towards the class grade, but they counted for something and thanks to the D.A, Scarlett felt more prepared for the exam than ever. And wouldn't it seem odd when she passed the exam with flying colors, but didn't pass the class itself? She sighed. Of course not. The Minister wouldn't think anything of it once Umbridge spoke to him.

Of course, this could just be about the D.A. Was Umbridge so angry that she was going to start failing students now? That didn't make sense. If she failed every member of the D.A., suspicions would definitely be raised. It seemed as if the toad was singling Scarlett out once again.

Just as Scarlett was reaching the entrance hall, she heard angry whispers coming from the bottom of the stairs that jerked her out of her thoughts. When she reached the bottom of the steps, she found both Justin and Fred elbowing each other and pulling each other backwards as they each tried to reach the stairs first.

"_What_ on earth are you doing?" Scarlett asked irritably.

"Scarlett!" Fred said, letting go of Justin's collar.

"I was coming to find you to figure out what was going on," Justin said, panting from practically fighting with Fred, "and to, you know, comfort you if you needed it. But Fred had the same idea."

"So what?" Scarlett asked, crossing her arms.

"So it's not his business!" Justin exclaimed.

"Yes it is!" Fred cried. "Scarlett's my friend! You're not the only one who cares about her."

"I'm her boyfriend! You and Scarlett hardly spoke for eight years. Just because you speak now doesn't mean you're friends."

"We didn't grow apart because we _chose_ to," Fred argued. "Things just weren't working out in our favor. Just because things didn't work out, doesn't mean we stopped caring. And we are friends now, for your information, and friends are allowed to be there for one another!"

Justin paused and bit his lip. Scarlett knew he was probably thinking about his old friendship with Angelina. He'd sound hypocritical if he argued with Fred, even though Fred wouldn't know it.

Fred smirked and crossed his arms. Justin tried to reach out and shove him, but Scarlett pulled him back. "Honestly, just stop it!" she cried. Sighing, she sat down on the bottom step, rested her arms on her knees and buried her head in her arms.

Fred and Justin looked at each other before taking a seat on either side of her. "Scar, what happened?" Justin asked gently, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"Yeah, you have a good friend _and_ your boyfriend here," Fred added. "That's twice the amount of ears you'd have if it was only one of us."

Scarlett raised her head and stared blankly at the oak front doors that were directly in front of her. "Umbridge said I'm failing her class and I can't become a Healer now," she said dully.

Her words were met with total silence. She glanced at Justin and his eyes were wide. Then, she looked at Fred, whose mouth was hanging open, just as Scarlett's had back in Umbridge's office. She actually smirked. "Close your mouth," she said, imitating Umbridge, "one might think this has come as a shock." She rolled her eyes. "The toad actually said that to me, too."

Both Justin and Fred were silent for a moment longer before they both began talking at once.

"This can't be possible!"

"She can't do that! It's not fair!"

"If you pass your NEWTs, you'll be fine!"

"I've seen you doing your homework for that class with my own eyes!"

"I'm going to go give her a piece of my mind!"

"Me, too!"

"No, both of you sit." Scarlett grabbed their sleeves and pulled them back onto the steps. "She said that even if I take my Defense Against the Dark Arts NEWT, it won't matter and that all classes are important for me to become a Healer, including hers. I thought about it, and it doesn't really make sense. I know I've done all of my homework for her class, and it'll be odd if I ace my exam, but not the class. None of it matters, though, because the Minister's on her side. I just—I've worked _so_ hard. I've wanted to be a Healer since my dad died, and this is what I get? I have to talk to Professor Sprout to choose another career option, but I have no idea what else I want to do. And I just _love_ how she decided to tell me now! At the end of the year when I was _so_ close."

"She's doing it on purpose," Fred suddenly said.

"What?" Scarlett looked up at him in shock.

"Remember when I said it was odd how she had been laying low and not bothering you?"

"You think this is the big thing she was planning?"

"Seems like it to me," Fred shrugged.

"I don't understand," Justin frowned.

"Fred seems to think that Umbridge has been leaving me alone for the past three months because she was planning something huge."

"And this is it?" Justin asked.

Fred nodded. "I'm absolutely positive that Umbridge is doing this on purpose."

Scarlett and Justin stared at him. He was completely serious, but would Umbridge go as far as purposely failing a student? And most importantly, why?

* * *

**A/N: Umbridge is just terrible, isn't she? This chapter makes me want to hit her in the face with a book.**

**Anyway, as for the George/Erica issue, some people liked the idea and some didn't so I decided to keep it open ended. That way, people will be free to use their imaginations. I won't write a romance between them, but they are going to at least become closer friends by the end of the story and then people can just assume what they want. I do think they'd be cute but I also worry about it making this story too corny with two best friends dating the twins so I can understand both sides and it's why I made the decision I did so hopefully that works for everyone. :)**

**Thank you so much for all of the feedback on this story so far! I really appreciate all of it and that all of the hard work put into this story is paying off.**

**Oh, and I thought I would share this with everyone considering we're all huge Harry Potter fans and huge Fred and George fans. I'm going to the Harry Potter exhibition in Times Square on Saturday and James and Oliver Phelps are going to be there signing autographs. It was kind of a last minute decision to go but I've been freaking out and I knew I could share the news here and people could understand why haha. I wish I could bring all of my readers with me though for being so awesome. :)**


	27. Chapter 27

"_Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy, it's unbelievable."_

**-Matilda (Matilda)**

* * *

"You go on ahead," Scarlett said. "I'm going to talk to Professor Sprout." Scarlett gestured for her friends to leave as she hung back at their usual workplace in the greenhouses. She was feeling somewhat anxious about talking to her Herbology professor, even though she knew her rather well and Professor Sprout was extremely kind. She was even nervous despite the fact that Fred, George and Erica had spent the class suggesting things for her to say and giving her advice.

"She knows what kind of person you are," Erica had said, "so she'll find this whole situation completely ridiculous as well and maybe she can do something about it." The second she and George had been filled in on Scarlett's predicament, they had both agreed with Fred that Umbridge was up to something. Actually, the more Scarlett thought about it, the more she agreed with him as well. None of this was making any sense.

"Doubt it," Scarlett had muttered in response to Erica's statement.

"Don't give up just yet," Fred had advised.

Now, Erica, Fred and George looked back at her sympathetically. "Good luck, Scar," Erica said comfortingly.

"Thanks," Scarlett said quietly.

"I'll wait for you outside," Fred whispered. "I have to talk to you anyway."

Scarlett shot him a questioning look, but he shook his head and left the greenhouse with George and Erica. Once they were gone and the greenhouse was empty of students, Scarlett made her way up to Professor Sprout, who was gathering up her things. "Professor?" she said.

"Yes, what is it, dear?" Professor Sprout asked kindly, looking up at her.

Scarlett took a deep breath. "Last night, Professor Umbridge told me that I should speak to you about a career option other than a Healer."

"Why would she tell you that?" Professor Sprout asked, looking confused. "When I spoke to you back in your fifth year, you were well on your way to becoming a Healer and the same applies for when I met with you at the beginning of this year."

"Apparently I'm failing her class and taking the NEWTs won't do anything because I won't have a passing grade for the actual class," Scarlett explained.

"Rubbish," Professor Sprout said. "All of it."

"You don't believe I'm really failing, then," Scarlett said. "You think she could be making it up?"

Professor Sprout looked at Scarlett for a moment before answering. "I know you quite well, Scarlett," she said, "and I know how much being a Healer means to you. I think that should answer your question."

"Is there anything you can do, then?" Scarlett asked.

Professor Sprout sighed. "Unfortunately, no. Dolores is headmistress now and has the support of the Minister. Normally, I'd take this matter to Dumbledore, but seeing as we can't…."

"I understand," Scarlett said, looking down at her feet. "So I guess it's best if I do just choose another career, then."

Professor Sprout was quiet for a moment. "Not just yet," she finally said. "There must be a way to prove Dolores is lying. She must have your real grades around somewhere. If she magically altered your records, there are ways we can find out. And if she made a second copy and switched the grades that way, well, we'll still be able to find your real files. It's illegal to actually _destroy_ them, you see, even with her practically in charge and with the Minister wrapped around her finger."

"So what are you saying?" Scarlett asked.

"I'm saying that I'll see what I can do," Professor Sprout answered with a tiny smile.

"I really do appreciate this," Scarlett told her, "but please don't go through a lot of trouble. I wouldn't want you to get fired or anything….I mean, I'm not worth it."

Professor Sprout chuckled. "Like I said, I know what being a Healer means to you. You're a good student and I'm rather fed up with Dolores myself." She smiled again. "Just know that if I help you out on this, I'll be pestering _you_ for any health related issues I may have in the future."

Scarlett let out a small laugh. "Thank you, Professor….honestly."

With one last comforting smile, Professor Sprout left the greenhouses. Scarlett took a deep breath before heading outside as well. The knot in her stomach had lessoned, but only slightly.

"Hey, what'd she say?"

Scarlett jumped as Fred caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "You scared me. I forgot you were waiting," she laughed. "Anyway, she said there wasn't much she _thought_ she could do, but she said something about trying to find my original files as proof that Umbridge did something. I don't know where we'll go from there, though."

"Your original files?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, my files the school keeps a hold of with all of my grades and test scores. It's illegal to throw them away—at least while I'm still at school—so Umbridge must have them somewhere. She might have made a copy and changed the grades or magically changed the original. If she magically changed the original, Professor Sprout says there are ways to find out."

"So she thinks Umbridge made everything up as well?"

"Apparently," Scarlett shrugged, "but, really, I don't know how much she can do and how much she can get away with, so I'm not going to get my hopes up just yet." She sighed and glanced at Fred. "You can say it, you know."

"Say what?" he asked, looking confused.

"That the offer still stands if I want to stand outside your shop dressed as an Extendable Ear. I actually just might have to do it."

Fred smiled. "No, I think you should finish out the year and see what happens with Umbridge. If you're still failing, come see me."

"Finish out the year?" Scarlett asked, picking up on his word choice. "That makes it seem like you're leaving to open the shop. Are you?" She looked up at him excitedly.

Fred nodded. "Yeah, George and I are leaving early. Next weekend, actually. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to let you know."

"I should have realized," Scarlett groaned. "You _told_ me that you wouldn't want to stay if the D.A. ended, but it completely slipped my mind."

"I'd say you were pretty preoccupied," Fred shrugged.

"But this is great! You're finally going to open your joke shop!" Scarlett grinned happily at him.

"Yeah, I know," Fred replied, returning the grin. Suddenly, it faded and he sighed. "But it's unfair. I feel like I don't deserve it. Not after what's happening to you." He rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the ground.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, here I am living my dream and I didn't have to work all that hard for it and you've been working so hard for years and your dreams might very well be crushed."

"Fred, you _have_ worked hard!" Scarlett said. "All that stuff you and George invented, well, maybe it seems easy to you, but it was a lot of hard work! And it took a lot of planning to find a place and it'll take a lot of work to get it open. You most definitely deserve this."

Fred looked at her. "And you deserve to be a Healer. I wish there was some way I could help you."

Scarlett shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll figure it out. I am a big girl after all." They stopped just inside the front doors and Scarlett looked up at Fred. "You'll be great, you know. You and George. You really won't need anybody to stand outside to attract customers. They'll come inside all on their own. I'm sure of it."

Fred smiled. "Thanks," he whispered, pulling her into a hug. Scarlett was a little surprised, but she hugged him back anyway. "Promise to keep in touch and let me know what happens with the toad," Fred continued.

"I will," Scarlett sighed.

"Don't worry," Fred said, pulling away and grinning. "With any luck, she'll be gone after this year. And I know you'll end up being able to become a Healer."

Scarlett shrugged. "Maybe."

"Hey," Fred whispered. Scarlett looked up at him. "Things will work out. I know they will."

"How do you know? You can't possibly know that."

"I do know because there's no way Umbridge can win this. I don't think anyone would let her…you especially." He let that sink in for a minute before he jerked his head towards the great hall. "Come on, lunch is halfway over and I'm starving."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I'm not surprised."

* * *

"Hey, Scar, come here."

Scarlett glanced to her left to see Fred and George hiding behind a statue. It was two days after her talk with Professor Sprout and Scarlett still hadn't heard any news on if her professor had found anything. She was trying to be patient and give the lady some time, but Scarlett was getting anxious. She wanted this all sorted out.

"What do you want?" she asked, making her way over to the statue.

"Come closer. This is top secret business," Fred hissed.

"How much closer can I get?" she asked. "There's certainly no way I'm going to fit behind that statue with both of you there already."

"Sounds like you're calling one of the three of us fat, and it most definitely is not me or Fred," George smirked.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "What is it?" she asked again, managing to squeeze behind the statue. She hoped no one ended up seeing them. The last thing she needed was someone running to tell Justin a complete and utter fib because they saw something fishy and didn't bother to get all the facts.

"We think we have an idea on how to get you into Umbridge's office," Fred said proudly.

"Me? I'm not going into her office. Professor Sprout said she would try to find my files. Besides, I don't know the spell to detect my real grades if Umbridge magically changed them, which I'm assuming she did so that my real files aren't lying around somewhere. She's not stupid, you know."

"Yes, but it's been two days and Professor Sprout hasn't found anything yet."

"I know and I am anxious, but I'm trying to be patient. She isn't a miracle worker. She's only human, you know."

"Yes, but see, we're leaving in a few days and we want to be able to help you if we can," Fred said. "The least we can do is get you into Umbridge's office so you can at least look for yourself. If you don't find anything, then you can leave it up to Professor Sprout, but this way you get a look around as well. Two heads are better than one. That's what they all say, isn't it?"

Scarlett debated it for a moment. "All right," she finally sighed. "What's your plan? And make it quick. I don't want someone to see us back here."

The twins rolled their eyes. "Okay," Fred said, "well I don't know if you've noticed, but George and I have been laying low with the pranks lately…."

"I haven't noticed, actually, but I do know what that means," Scarlett said. She sighed, but couldn't help the smile that spread over her face.

Fred and George grinned. "We have two last pranks planned for Friday afternoon, the day we're leaving," George continued.

"So that we can, oh, you know, go out with a bang," Fred smirked.

"A bang," Scarlett repeated.

"A bang," George nodded, a smirk identical to Fred's spreading over his face.

"The plan is that on Friday afternoon, we'll pull a pretty big prank. This will also serve as your diversion," Fred said. "Immediately after we set this prank in motion, we'll be pulling another prank before we leave this joint for good. This is basically to anger Umbridge even more and she won't even be able to prove either prank was us."

"And if she does," George added, "we'll most likely already be gone."

"Okay, so how does this help me?"

"Like I said," Fred shrugged, "it's your diversion. The first prank will lure the old toad out of her office so that you can get inside. We can probably guarantee about twenty minutes."

"When are you pulling this prank?" Scarlett asked.

"Five o'clock sharp," the twins said together.

Scarlett nodded. "Okay," she answered. "And thank you."

The twins grinned. "Don't mention it," George said. "Really, you're making us blush."

Scarlett smiled and punched his shoulder lightly. "If I don't see you before you leave," she told them, looking from one twin to the other, "well…I'll miss you."

"We'll be seeing you again soon, I expect," Fred winked. "You and I do have a vow to fulfill after all."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I'm well aware. Can we get out from behind this statue now?"

"We'll miss you, too, though," Fred said seriously as they emerged back into the hallway.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he said. They reached the end of the hallway and before they went their separate ways, Fred turned to Scarlett again. "Don't forget to make sure the Finch is well stocked up on birdseed every flavor beans," he said, "and make sure he doesn't peck your eye out." He crossed one of his eyes again like he had done in Diagon Alley.

Scarlett groaned. "I should have known you'd have to have one last peck at him." She gasped. "I can't believe I just said that."

Fred started roaring with laugher. Even George started to laugh, but at least he tried to be polite and hold it in.

"Stop laughing," Scarlett cried, covering her mouth with her hand. "It isn't funny! You have most definitely rubbed off on me!" She gave Fred a shove as he continued to laugh. "Maybe it's a good thing you're leaving. Maybe I'll return to normal when I'm twin-free for a few months."

"That was one of the highlights of my day," Fred sighed as his laughter slowed. "You actually made a bird related joke while we were talking about the Finch."

"I feel terrible," Scarlett said seriously. "I didn't mean to say it. It just came out."

"Sure it did," Fred smirked. "I'm going to tell him you said that."

"Yeah, but then you'd have to tell him that you started it."

"True," Fred shrugged. He looked at her, suddenly serious. "He'll be glad when I'm gone, won't he? He can finally relax."

"I suppose," Scarlett shrugged, "but since when do you care what he thinks?"

"Again, true," Fred said with a smile. "If he's ever anything but nice to you, tell me, and I'll come back and deal with him."

"Are you just trying to find an excuse to fight with him?"

Fred smirked. "Well, you know, I can't have him damaging my future wife's face with his beak."

"Stop it," Scarlett said threateningly. "I mean it." She pointed a finger at him.

"Or what? You'll set your beaked boyfriend on me?"

Scarlett inhaled through her nose and turned around. "I can't deal with you." She began to walk away, but heard Fred's voice behind her.

"Scar?"

"Yes?" She stopped walking but didn't turn around.

When Fred spoke again, his voice was so quiet, she almost didn't hear it. "I've had fun catching up with you this year and I really will miss you."

Scarlett couldn't help herself. She broke into a grin and, without stopping to think, she turned, ran back towards Fred, and threw her arms around him. He blinked in surprise, but returned the hug, nonetheless "I'll miss you, too," Scarlett said, breaking away to hug George as well. "But like you said, we do have to see each other soon anyway."

Fred nodded. "See you soon, then?"

Scarlett smiled. "See you soon, then."

* * *

Friday afternoon, at five minutes to five, Scarlett found herself waiting around the corner from Umbridge's office. She hadn't bothered to tell Justin and Erica where she was going or what she was doing. They would only try to stop her.

At exactly five o' clock, there was a series of bangs. Scarlett knew they were coming from the other side of the castle, but the volume was still incredibly loud. Holding her breath, she peered around the corner to see Umbridge running out of her office and towards the sound, just as Fred and George had said she would.

Not wasting any time, Scarlett ran towards Umbridge's office, colliding with someone at the door. "Harry?" she said.

"Scarlett?" He looked just as surprised as she felt. "What are you doing here?"

"Sneaking into Umbridge's office. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Sneaking into Umbridge's office," Harry said slowly. "Hang on….Did Fred and George…?"

"Cause a diversion so that I could do this? Yeah."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, same here."

Scarlett let out a tiny laugh. "They forgot to mention that I wouldn't be the only one sneaking in here. Did they mention anything to you?"

"No," Harry replied.

Scarlett glanced over her shoulder. "Come on, we'd better hurry and do what we need to do, then. They only guaranteed me twenty minutes."

"Same," Harry nodded again.

The two of them slipped into the pink, girly office as stealthily as possible. Scarlett headed straight for the desk, while Harry went for the fireplace. Scarlett glanced at him as he threw down some Floo Powder, knelt down, yelled out Sirius's address, and stuck his head into the flames. "Sirius?" he asked.

Scarlett almost laughed as she heard the unmistakable sounds of someone jumping in fright from the other side. She tried to tune out Harry's conversation as she began rifling through Umbridge's drawers, but she did hear a few snippets of the conversation. Apparently, Harry wanted to verify something his dad had done at school that involved Snape.

She let out a few curse words under her breath as she finished checking the third drawer to no avail.

"Is someone in the room with you?" she heard Sirius ask Harry.

"Scarlett," Harry answered. "She needed to sneak into Umbridge's office as well."

"Hi, Sirius," Scarlett answered absentmindedly as she moved on to another drawer. Maybe this was ridiculous. Now that she was thinking about it, she didn't know if Umbridge would even leave the grades of her students just lying around in her desk. Maybe she wanted to store them somewhere safer, especially if Scarlett's had been changed.

Suddenly, Scarlett realized something. Umbridge simply couldn't change Scarlett's grade on her own papers; she had to change the grade in Scarlett's cumulative records as well. Those were stored in the headmaster's office, which Umbridge now had access to. Scarlett had originally thought it was stupid that Umbridge used two offices but now it sort of made sense. Umbridge was now able to cover all the bases and make it truly seem as if Scarlett was failing her class. She could change Scarlett's cumulative records, wouldn't have to go through Dumbledore to do it, and most importantly, the records were safely hidden away in the headmaster's office protected by a password.

Deciding she might as well look through the rest of the desk drawers just in case and figure out her next move later, Scarlett continued to rifle through papers in Umbridge's desk until something caught her eye. Frowning, she picked up the piece of paper. "Approval for Whipping," she muttered. Her eyes widened. Umbridge had gotten approval from Cornelius Fudge himself to bring back the old punishments. She checked the date. "Yesterday," she muttered, biting her lip as her stomach tightened nervously. This was not a good sign for anybody.

Suddenly, Scarlett heard footsteps coming in the direction of the office. Her head snapped up and her breath caught in her throat. "Harry," she hissed, "someone's coming."

"I've got to go," Harry told Sirius. He pulled his head out of the fireplace and scrambled to his feet. The footsteps were right outside the door now. "Under here," Harry hissed, pulling his invisibility cloak out of his bag. Scarlett stuck the approval for the new punishment back into the drawer and hurried to Harry's side after double checking to make sure Umbridge's desk was exactly as she had found it. Harry threw the cloak over them, hiding them both from view as the door opened. It wasn't Umbridge, but Filch. He made a beeline for the desk and opened the drawer Scarlett had just closed moments ago.

"Approval for whipping…approval for whipping…I can do it at last," he muttered. "They've had it coming to them for years."

He pulled out the approval form, kissed it, and hurried rapidly out of the room. Scarlett had never seen him move so fast. She would have found it funny if she hadn't realized who Filch had been talking about.

"Fred and George," she whispered, starting to move out from under the cloak.

"No, stay under here until it's safe," Harry ordered, grabbing her arm.

"Fine, but can we hurry?" she hissed. They moved as quickly as they could while trying to stay under the cloak. Filch was just ahead of them so they had to try to stay silent as well. They followed him all the way to the entrance hall, which was packed with students. Harry quickly removed the cloak and Scarlett immediately began forcing her way through the crowd. She spotted Justin and Erica near the front and made her way to them. "What's going on?" she hissed, looking at Fred and George, standing near the front doors, looking as if they were two children with their hands caught in the cookie jar.

"Scarlett," Justin said, jumping slightly. "Where were you?"

"Never mind that," she said quickly. "Can one of you just fill me in?"

"The Inquisitorial Squad cornered Fred and George," Erica said. "Did you see what they did to the corridor where the statue of Gregory the Smarmy is?"

"No," Scarlett answered. "What did they do?"

"They used one of their own products," Justin said. "A portable swamp. The entire corridor's flooded. No one can get down there."

"And now they're going to get whipped," Scarlett gasped, "unless they can make it out, but I don't see how they can…."

"What are you talking about?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Scarlett answered quickly. "Just forget it."

Justin opened his mouth to say something else, but he didn't get the chance because a familiar voice sounded from behind them.

"Good and cornered."

Scarlett turned to see Umbridge at the top of the stairs. She began to descend them one by one and as she did, the students standing on the steps parted to make way for her.

"So," she continued, addressing Fred and George. She stopped a few steps from the bottom and looked down at the twins. "You two think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

"Pretty amusing, yeah," said Fred, looking back up at her, calmly. He even had the nerve to smirk slightly.

Filch suddenly caught up to Umbridge and stood eagerly beside her. "I've got the form," he said gleefully, holding it out in front of him.

"Very good, Argus," Umbridge said. "You two," she said, looking down at Fred and George again, "are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

"You know what?" Fred said. "I don't think we are. George, I think we've outgrown full-time education."

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," replied George.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, you think?" Fred asked.

"Definitely," said George.

Simultaneously, they both raised their wands and yelled "Accio brooms!"

There was a loud crash from somewhere in the distance in within seconds, Fred and George's brooms were soaring over the crowd, a chain still dangling from one.

"We won't be seeing you," Fred said, looking at Umbridge as he climbed onto his broom. George grabbed his own broom, the one with the chain still attached, and climbed on as well. "Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," he added.

"If anyone fancies buying a portable swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three Diagon Alley. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes—our new premises!" Fred shouted to the crowd.

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," George continued, pointing at Umbrudge, who turned red with absolute fury.

"Stop them!" she shrieked, but there was nothing anyone could do. Fred and George kicked off from the floor and rose above the crowd. Fred looked at Peeves, who was floating level with them.

"Give her hell from us, Peeves."

To everyone's amazement, the poltergeist nodded in agreement. Scarlett smiled as she remembered the day Fred and George had told her that Peeves respected them. It looked as if they were right. And, as Fred and George flew through the oak front doors, it seemed as if they had also gained the respect of nearly the entire Hogwarts population. That is, of course, if they didn't have it already.

* * *

**A/N: This was such a fun chapter to write. Fred and George's leaving Hogwarts scene is one of my favorites in both the books and the movies even though they're slightly different.**

**As far as how long this story's going to go, I'm planning on continuing until a little bit after the seventh book ends and I'm probably going to keep it all in one story instead of splitting it up into separate ones if that's okay.**

**Lastly, I'll fill everyone in on James and Oliver. Basically my friend and I had to get up at 4:30 in the morning to catch a 6:40 bus to NYC. It took about 3 and a half hours to get there, we got to the meet and greet by 10:20, and the line was already almost halfway down the street. They passed out wristbands and ran out about 50 people behind us, so we literally got there right on time. We waited for 3 hours in 34 degree weather, but it was so worth it. We didn't get a lot of time to talk with them, though and we could only take pictures of them, not with them which wasn't the greatest arrangement but at least I have pictures of them on my phone that I can't seem to stop looking at haha. Anyway, I went up with my friend and handed Oliver my book and my friend gave James her phone to sign and we said hi and then I basically blurted out that they were the best characters in the movies and they kind of just smiled at me but didn't say anything. Then**** I said "This was definitely worth getting up at 4:30" and James looked up at me with this almost shocked/impressed expression and said "Wow, where are you from?" So I told him and he said "Oh, yeah, okay. Cool, thanks for coming." so we said thanks for the autographs and left, but I wanted to melt into a puddle because James Phelps looked at me and spoke to me even if he probably forgot about me five minutes later haha. Oliver didn't really say much except say hi and smile at me but there wasn't a lot of time so I think forgiveness can be arranged :) And honestly, I didn't think I would ever meet them but it ended up happening, so don't give up! :) They're totally sweet and adorable and worth waiting three hours for.**


	28. Chapter 28

_"Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one."_

**-Grandmother Willow (Pocahontas)**

* * *

"Okay, even I will admit that it was brilliant," Justin said that night in the common room.

"I don't think they planned to leave in front of everyone," Scarlett said. She bit her lip. Of course she didn't _think_. She knew.

"Even so," Justin answered, shrugging. "And the fireworks, too. Those were genius, actually."

As it turned out, the bangs that Scarlett had heard before sneaking into Umbridge's office had been another one of Fred and George's products in action. Fireworks. Scarlett had heard through the grapevine that one even took shape of a dragon and chased after Umbridge.

Justin continued to talk about Fred and George's grand exit, but Scarlett wasn't really listening. She just sat next to him and stared into the fire. She hadn't told Justin anything about sneaking into Umbridge's office and that included the fact that Fred and George had created a diversion for her. The main thing on her mind now, however, wasn't that she had kept yet another thing from her boyfriend, but instead, the fact that she hadn't been able to find any proof that Umbridge had lied to her. It seemed that it was all up to Professor Sprout now and the entire ordeal was making Scarlett anxious. Not to mention, she also had the fact that she still hadn't told Justin the truth about Fred weighing on her mind.

"Scar, what are you thinking about? You're completely zoning out on me," Justin said.

She didn't answer right away. Finally, she looked up and gave him a reassuring smile. "Just about this whole Umbridge thing. I just…I want to prove she's lying."

"It'll be okay. Somehow, things will work out."

"What if it doesn't work out?" she asked, looking down at her hands.

Justin reached out and put a hand over hers. "Then it doesn't work out and you'll find another great career."

"But I need to be a Healer," Scarlett whispered, "for my dad."

"He died on impact, didn't he?" Justin asked tentatively. "There's nothing anybody can do for those cases."

"That's not the point. The point is that I can give other people a shot. Maybe I can be the one who prevents some other little girl from losing her father and ending up like me."

"I'm sure your dad wouldn't hold anything against you if you didn't become a Healer. Besides, Umbridge is the one who did something wrong and she'll get in trouble for it. It's nothing you did."

"Maybe it is. Maybe she's right and I'm just a terrible student."

"Scarlett, please," Justin scoffed. "I've seen how much time you spend on your work. There is no possible way that you are failing that class. Even Professor Sprout doesn't believe it. And, you know, I'll still love you no matter what your future career is."

Scarlett's throat instantly constricted. She hated herself for making everything so complicated. Every day that she waited to tell Justin the truth, things got worse. And he kept saying things that made her never want to tell him. Like what he had said just then.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"You're so nice to me," she answered quietly, "and I don't deserve it."

"Why not?" Of course you do. Scar, is this still about your grade? Listen to me. You aren't a bad person. Umbridge is the one making your life a living hell. She's the one who doesn't deserve kindness from anyone."

Scarlett sighed. "I suppose you're right."

Justin kissed her temple. "Love you."

Scarlett squeezed her eyes shut. If she was being honest with herself, deep down, she loved him back. How could she not after how good he always was to her? She felt terrible about the way she was feeling, and she knew it couldn't last. That's why she didn't want to let herself feel it. At the same time, she knew it was there somewhere. It had to be. She probably would be able to admit it so much easier if she hadn't had the Fred issue in her mind. So, even though she knew it was going to make everything even more difficult, and even though she wasn't even completely sure what she was feeling, she whispered the words back to him. "Love you too."

"Yeah?" Justin asked, grinning.

She nodded.

Justin grinned wider and kissed her cheek. Scarlett wanted to cry. Sometime within the next two years, she was going to have to break his heart.

* * *

"_Why_ did you tell him you loved him?" Erica asked that night as the two of them got ready for bed.

"Because I do," Scarlett answered.

"You're sure?" Erica asked. "You don't think you're in love with him because he's in love with you?"

"No, I definitely feel _something_. I don't know if I love him as much as he loves me, to be honest, but it could be because I have other issues floating around in the back of my mind. And if I didn't, I really could be able to be completely in love with him. Justin's just…he's always so nice and I, well, I can't not love him. There's no use denying it. If I feel something, even if it's something small, I might as well tell him, even if it just complicates things."

"Yeah, I would say it's going to complicate things," Erica snorted. "You really shouldn't have said anything. If what you're feeling is deep down because of Fred, then _I _think there's no use in telling him."

"Look, I can't help it. I know things are complicated."

"You should have told him about Fred before either one of you felt deeper feelings for each other. You really should have told him before he even asked you out."

"No, I couldn't! And every time since then has been a terrible opportunity."

"Not _every _time," Erica argued. "And don't say anything about wanting to enjoy your relationship first because it's crap. It was crap when Fred said it, and it's crap now."

"Erica," Scarlett said sternly.

"If you don't say something to Justin, then I will," Erica continued.

"You wouldn't!" Scarlett gasped.

"I would," Erica retaliated.

"You can't," Scarlett said desperately. She lowered her voice again. "Honestly, I think it's something I need to do myself. Like you said to me before, Justin needs to hear it from me and nobody else."

"Then why aren't you telling him?" Erica raised her eyebrows.

Scarlett groaned. "You don't understand. It's so _difficult_. And it's been difficult since the very beginning. It's so easy for you to sit there and tell me the right thing to do, but you don't know what it's like to be in this position when your feelings are involved as well."

"But your feelings are only making it worse!" Erica exclaimed, laughing in disbelief.

"Well, excuse me for _feeling _things," Scarlett answered, crossing her arms. "Don't you think I know that I'm making things worse? I _know_ Justin's going to get hurt. I know _I'm_ going to get hurt. I know it and I hate it, but everything's just snowballing out of control and I just—," She stopped and sighed. "I know I'm messing things up. I don't need you to constantly remind me. It makes me feel worse than I already do, which is pretty terrible."

"Good, you should feel terrible," Erica snapped, clearly still angry. "Besides, I thought things were changing between you and Fred."

"Oh, please, not this again," Scarlett said, throwing her hands up in disbelief.

"I don't understand why you're being so stubborn about this. It's like you think falling for Fred is impossible and ridiculous. You really are so opposed to trying."

"It _is_ impossible, so why try?"

"It's not impossible. You made the vow in the first place, didn't you?"

"We were nine and stupid."

"Whatever," Erica mumbled. She crawled into her bed and pulled the covers over her head.

Scarlett ran a hand through her long, thick hair and sighed before crawling into her own bed and turning on her side, away from Erica. She felt a lump in her throat but forced it down. No matter how much she wanted to, she wasn't going to let herself cry.

* * *

"I swear, if this is the matching necklace to my earrings and bracelet, I'll hit you," Scarlett said, looking at Justin.

It was nearly a week after her argument with Erica and the two of them had hardly spoken at all. It also happened to be Scarlett's eighteenth birthday. She had been hoping to have made up with Erica by now, but it hadn't happened and it made Scarlett even more upset. Instead of showing it, though, she tried her best to disguise her negative feelings and appear to be nothing but completely and totally happy.

"No, it's not the matching necklace," Justin assured Scarlett now with a smile, "I promise." He repositioned himself on the common room couch so that he was sitting sideways and facing Scarlett.

She carefully untied the bow and opened the box. Inside was a necklace, but it was different than any of the other jewelry Justin had given her. It was a simple gold, circular locket.

"What do you think?" Justin asked as Scarlett reached into the box and pulled the necklace out.

"It's so pretty," she whispered. She lowered the necklace into her palm and gently began to open it. "Are there pictures in it?"

"No," Justin said, "not yet. I thought you should choose what pictures go in there. Maybe you'd want one of me." He smirked before becoming serious again. "Or maybe you'd want one of your dad."

Scarlett smiled somewhat sadly. "Thank you so much," she said. "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it."

"I love it," she whispered.

"Turn around, I'll put it on you," Justin instructed.

Scarlett did as he said, handing him the locket as she did so. She felt his fingers brush the back of her neck briefly.

"There," he said quietly, as Scarlett turned back to face him. "It looks beautiful."

Scarlett snuggled up against him. "Thank you."

"Happy birthday," he whispered, kissing her temple. He paused. "You're still not speaking to Erica?"

"No," Scarlett sighed. She had told Justin that she had had a small argument with Erica, but she hadn't said about what. Even when she had argued with her best friend about telling Justin the truth, she still couldn't do it and she couldn't tell him anything that would have to lead to her telling the truth. It really was a huge mess.

"I think she misses you," Justin stated.

"Why do you say that?"

Justin pointed to the common room doorway. Scarlett looked up to see Erica standing there, looking at her with a half-smile and a gift wrapped box in her hands.

"One minute," Scarlett said to Justin, standing up and approaching her best friend. "Hi."

"Hi," Erica said quietly. "Can I talk to you?" She gestured up to the girls' dorm.

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, of course."

They walked up to their dorm together. Erica sat down on her bed and fiddled with the box in her hands. "I wanted to apologize to you."

Scarlett sighed. "For what? Everything you said is true."

"But I was sort of mean about it. You were right about me not understanding because I'm not in your place. It's just…from my point of view—well, yes, it's easy for me to tell you the right thing to do, but I don't actually have to do it."

Scarlett nodded. "You're still, right, though, and I _will_ tell Justin the truth, but when I feel ready. I _do_ feel horribly about everything. I don't want you to think that I don't care."

"I know," Erica nodded. "And I also know that I should just be there for you instead of constantly lecturing you."

Scarlett sat down next to Erica on her bed. "That would actually mean so much to me, to be completely honest."

Erica cracked a smile. "So we're okay again?"

"Yeah," Scarlett replied, half-smiling.

"Good, because I have this for you. Happy birthday." Erica passed Scarlett the box in her hands.

"Thanks," Scarlett said quietly. She opened the box to find a new scarf.

"My mother taught me how to knit without magic," Erica said. "I only knew how to knit _with _magic, but I thought learning how to knit the Muggle way would be useful for later. You know, when I'm off actually making my designs a reality. Next, I'm going to learn how to sew the Muggle way."

"Where'd your mother learn how to knit without magic?" Scarlett asked.

"From a book," Erica shrugged. "You know her; she's always looking for challenging projects."

"Wow," Scarlett said. She picked up the scarf. "It came out really nice. I love it!"

"I'm glad," Erica said. "I actually had to start over a few times. Knitting the Muggle way is _hard_."

Scarlett giggled before leaning over to hug her friend. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Erica replied. She noticed the locket Scarlett was wearing. "Is that from Justin?"

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, it is."

Erica was quiet for a moment. "Do you actually love him?"

"I think I do," Scarlett said, "but I think I'm trying to…suppress it. I really want to just let myself really love him, but I know it won't work out. Maybe it's a little selfish, but it'll still be hard for me in the end."

"So you're just going to let him have feelings for you while you try to not have feelings for him to prevent yourself from being even more hurt when the time comes."

"I'm not doing it to prevent myself from being hurt. I think it's almost involuntary. I can't let myself truly love him when I know that it'll be almost pointless. And that's why it's a tiny bit selfish. If I could do something right now to make sure Justin wouldn't get hurt, I would do it. No matter when I tell him, he'll be upset."

"True, I suppose," Erica sighed.

"You're not still thinking of telling him, are you?" Scarlett asked quietly.

"No." Erica sighed again. "You were right. It _is_ you who should tell him. He'd hate to hear it from me or anybody else."

Scarlett nodded. Before she could say anything else, an owl flew through the open dormitory window and landed on her lap.

"Who's that from?" Erica asked curiously.

"I don't know," Scarlett answered, pulling the small box from the owl's leg.

"There's a note attached," Erica pointed out as the owl flew back through the open window.

Scarlett picked up the note and read it silently. _Scar, since you inspired our newest product, we thought you should be one of the first to have one. Shop's doing really well, by the way. Happy Birthday. See you soon. From, Fred (and George, too)._

Scarlett smiled and held the note out to Erica, who quickly read it.

"What do you think?" Scarlett asked.

"I think," Erica began, "that you should open the gift."

Scarlett smiled wider and opened the box. Inside was a fortune cookie. "Oh, no," she laughed, picking it up. "I'm almost afraid to open it. It might squirt water at me or something."

"Just do it," Erica advised with a shrug.

Scarlett took a deep breath and cracked the cookie open. Inside was a little slip of paper, just like in a real fortune cookie. She picked it up and read it out loud. "Marriage lets you annoy one special person for the rest of their life." She groaned. "I can't believe him."

"There's something written on the back," Erica said.

Scarlett flipped the paper over. In Fred's handwriting it said _Can't wait to annoy you!_ She actually laughed out loud. "I really can't believe him. I bet all of the fortunes are going to be like this…ridiculous ones that are for a laugh and not serious at all."

"Are you going to save it?" Erica asked.

Scarlett smiled as she twirled the paper in her hands. "I don't see why not."

"You should," Erica said, picking up half of the actual cookie and eating it.

"I thought you were so against things that Fred and I do together while I'm still with Justin," Scarlett smirked.

"No, not _really_," Erica answered. "I suppose it is harmless."

"It is," Scarlett assured her.

Erica smirked. "Sometimes you two are kind of amusing, actually."

"Amusing, how?" Scarlett asked.

"Well, just the way you talk to each other."

"Which is how?" Scarlett asked curiously.

"Like you aren't afraid to tease each other. You don't worry about how the other will react. It's like you two never even grew apart in the first place."

"It _is_ easy to talk to him," Scarlett said. She remembered the day she and Fred had talked out in the stands of the Quidditch pitch and he had said the same thing about her. He had said it back at Grimmauld Place, too.

"Well," Erica said, "that's good. At least you have to marry someone who you like to talk to. It's better than Malfoy."

"Or Crabbe," Scarlett giggled.

"Or Goyle," Erica added, wrinkling her nose.

"Or Marcus Flint," Scarlett groaned.

"Really, you got off pretty easy."

"Yeah, although I wouldn't have ever picked any one of them to make an Unbreakable Vow with in the first place. I wasn't _that_ dumb as a nine year old."

"I'd say you were," Erica teased.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

"Anytime," Erica answered, stretching out on her bed and grinning.

Scarlett smiled and tucked the fortune into a pocket of her bag for safekeeping before scribbling out a note to Fred.

_Dear Fred, _

_Thanks for the gift. It's funny that you said you can't wait to annoy me because it just so happens that I can't wait to annoy you either. Not much has been going on over here unless you count the fact that everyone has caused nearly more mayhem in the few weeks since your departure than you and George caused in all of your years here. I'm glad the shop's doing well. I knew it would. No word about Umbridge and my Defense Against the Dark Arts grade yet. Hopefully soon, though. I'll keep my fingers crossed. See you soon. Say hello and thank you to George for me. _

_Always, Scarlett_

* * *

**A/N: Oh Scarlett and her confused feelings complicating things even more, but things will work out! I know exactly how the breakup between her and Justin is going to happen, so just hang in there. It'll happen before you know it :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	29. Chapter 29

"_Cruella De Vil, Cruella De Vil, if she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will."_

**-Roger (101 Dalmatians)**

* * *

By the time exams rolled around, Professor Sprout hadn't been able to find any way to prove that Umbridge had purposely failed Scarlett. She also hadn't been able to find or get her hands on Scarlett's files. Scarlett was devastated, but by the time her Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, her last one, came around, she was determined to prove Umbridge wrong on her own. She didn't know how, but she was going to.

She was fed up with Umbridge. Besides everything the toad had been doing already, only a few days ago she had tried to fire Hagrid, causing him to run away, and when Professor McGonagall ran outside to put an end to the chaos, she was hit with four Stunning Spells. She was currently in critical condition.

Due to Scarlett's studying, she felt confident in all of her NEWTs, including Defense Against the Dark Arts, so once she was finished, she was able to focus solely on proving Umbridge wrong.

The only thing that came to Scarlett's mind was sneaking into Dumbledore's office to try to find some information. She didn't know the password, but maybe she could figure it out. She decided to head there straight away without wasting any time. However, she had only gotten halfway there when she ran right into Ron.

"Sorry," she said, "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Neither was I," Ron admitted. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I was going to snoop around in Dumbledore's office," Scarlett answered.

"You'll never get in," Ron said. "There's the password security system that Dumbledore had already set up and now that Umbridge has taken over, she's added even more security."

"Like what?"

Ron shrugged. "If I knew, I would tell you. It's just what I heard. What are you looking for, anyway?"

"My records," Scarlett answered. "Either my cumulative ones or the ones for Defense Against the Dark Arts. It doesn't matter." She didn't elaborate and Ron didn't press for more information, for which Scarlett was grateful.

"It might be easier to just sneak into her regular office, then," he said.

"Well, I don't think what I need is in there. I've looked already." She paused. "Why would it be easier?"

"It's just…if you wanted to take another look, Harry needs to get in, so I'm supposed to be distracting Umbridge. I mean, if you really wanted to give Dumbledore's office a try, you can do that. She'll be distracted either way. I just don't know for how long. Anyway, we have Ginny and Luna acting as lookouts. If you do go to Dumbledore's office on your own, you won't have any lookouts in case Umbridge does end up in that area."

"You don't think going to Dumbledore's office is worth it?" Scarlett asked.

"There is a lot of security like I said," Ron shrugged. "If you gave her office another try, you'd get in easy _and_ we have lookouts. It's up to you, really. I've got to get going, though. I have to distract Umbridge and tell her that Peeves is destroying the Transfiguration classroom."

Scarlett thought about it for a second as Ron began to walk away. It was true that she hadn't gotten a _thorough_ look through Umbridge's office. One more look couldn't hurt. After that she would figure out how to get into Dumbledore's office. Besides, like Ron had said, she didn't have any lookouts, which meant she had a higher chance of being caught, even if Umbridge was distracted. And truthfully, the last thing Scarlett needed was to be caught by Umbridge snooping through an office the toad had so wrongly claimed as hers.

"Ron, wait, I'll come with you," she decided, running to catch up with him.

He nodded and explained the plan to her again. "We're just going to tell her Peeves is destroying the Transfiguration classroom. It's the furthest from her office."

"So," Scarlett said, "why does Harry need to use the office again?"

"How did you know he was in there before?"

"I ran into him. I told you I checked that office for my records already. He didn't tell you?"

"No," Ron shrugged.

"Yeah, well, what he was doing was probably more important."

Ron nodded. "Anyway, he fell asleep during our History of Magic exam and had a dream. I guess he—he saw Sirius being held captive by You-Know-Who in the Department of Mysteries. He's convinced it's real, like what he saw with my dad, but Hermione managed to persuade him to double check by contacting Grimmauld Place before running off to the Ministry."

"Wow," Scarlett said quietly. She really hoped Sirius was okay. She had really grown to like him a lot during her time at Grimmauld Place.

The two of them finally found Umbridge. Scarlett had to fight the urge to demand a confession right then and there.

"Where are the two of you headed?" Umbridge asked with a large, fake grin.

"We were actually looking for you," Ron said. "We just passed Peeves destroying the Transfiguration classroom. Since you're headmistress, we thought we should report it to you."

Umbridge just studied the two of them wordlessly as Scarlett nodded at Ron's side.

"I see," Umbridge finally said.

"Yeah, he's really making a mess," Scarlett added.

"Well, then, I suppose I'd better head there straight away," Umbridge said. She spoke slowly, but she was still wearing her smile.

"Yeah, okay," Ron said, nodding.

"You may go," Umrbridge told them, smiling wider. "I'm sure you both want to enjoy finally being finished with your exams."

Scarlett and Ron both nodded before hurrying away.

"Do you think she believed us?" Scarlett asked as they made their way back to Umbridge's office.

"I don't know. I hope she did," Ron shrugged.

They finally reached their destination where Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Luna were waiting outside. They looked at Scarlett curiously, but only for a second.

"Finally!" Hermione sighed impatiently. "What took you so long? And why is Scarlett with you?"

"We ran into each other," Ron said. "She was going to try and get into Dumbledore's office but in the end, she decided to give this office another try to get what she needs since Dumbledore's office has all that security."

Hermione looked at Scarlett and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you need to get into Dumbledore's office and Umbridge's office?"

"Your grades?" Ginny piped up.

"How did you know?" Scarlett asked.

"Fred mentioned something before he and George left, but really only because I pestered him. I really shouldn't have. It is a private matter. Sorry about that." She gave Scarlett an apologetic smile.

"Don't worry about it," Scarlett told her, shaking her head.

"You need to look at your records, then," Hermione said. "Are you planning on changing them?" She widened her eyes almost comically.

"No, actually I think _Umbridge_ changed them. I just want proof," Scarlett said.

"Well, even if you could get into Dumbledore's office, you wouldn't be able to touch the files. They're charmed so that once they're stored in the office only the headmaster—or headmistress—can touch them."

Scarlett groaned. So that meant that Umbridge definitely had access to the records. She had had access to them since the night the D.A. was discovered and all of this information was making the grade changing theory seem entirely plausible. And, of course, the charm around the files would protect anyone else from discovering what she had done. "What about the files for her class specifically?" Scarlett asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I have no idea. They could be in her office, but I don't know. I'd say it's worth a shot, though. In any case, we need to hurry. Ginny, Luna, you know what to do. Scarlett, Ron and I will go inside with Harry."

Everyone nodded in agreement and sprang into action. Ginny and Luna headed off to the end of the hallway to keep anyone who wanted to pass by away while Harry opened the office door and led the way inside. Scarlett once again made a beeline for the desk while Harry, Hermione and Ron went straight to the fireplace.

After only a few minutes, Harry quickly pulled his head out of the fireplace. "He's not there," he said urgently. "He's at the Ministry, just like I said."

"You're sure?" Hermione asked as Scarlett looked up in alarm.

"Positive. We need to leave now, Hermione."

"You aren't going anywhere, Mr. Potter."

Scarlett jumped and froze with her hand on one of Umbridge's desk drawers. Harry, Ron and Hermione jumped as well. Umbridge herself was standing in the doorway, aiming her wand at them and looking furious.

"I knew something was going on the second Mr. Weasley and Miss Callaway told me that Peeves was destroying the Transfiguration classroom. You see, I knew perfectly well that he was smearing ink on all of the school's telescopes, Mr. Filch having just told me so. From there, I rounded up my Inquisitorial Squad right away, as backup."

As if on cue, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad came into the room. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were dragging Luna, Ginny and Neville with them.

"This one was trying to defend them," Malfoy said, gesturing first to Neville and then to Ginny and Luna, "so I brought him in, too."

"Very good," Umbridge said. She turned to the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad. "Grab the rest of them…except Mr. Potter. I'll deal with him." She grabbed Harry and pushed him into a chair as the Inquisitorial Squad grabbed Ron, Hermione and Scarlett.

The Slytherin that grabbed Scarlett just so happened to be Marcus Flint. She smiled to herself as she remembered the conversation she had had with Erica. It was definitely a good thing that she wasn't getting married to Marcus Flint. Her faint smile faded completely when Flint roughly dragged her across the room to stand by the window with the others. Umbridge then began to question Harry.

"So, Potter," she said, "clearly it was important for you to talk to someone, and clearly it was important for _you_," she whirled around and pointed her wand at Scarlett, "to dig through my desk. I wonder what you could possibly be looking for." She smirked widely and Scarlett picked up on the sarcasm in her voice. The toad definitely knew what Scarlett was looking for.

"Nothing," Scarlett shrugged, trying to lie anyway.

"Don't lie," Umbridge snapped. "However, I will deal with you later." She turned back to Harry. "Who were you trying to talk to, Potter? Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or that half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall. I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone."

The Inquisitorial Squad laughed. Ginny tried to stomp on Goyle's foot, but he only laughed harder and tightened his grip on her wrists.

"It's none of your business who I talk to," Harry snapped.

"Very well," Umbridge said, taking a breath. "It seems as if I am going to have to force you to tell me. Draco, go fetch Professor Snape."

Draco shoved Neville at Crabbe, who grabbed him with one hand, while still holding onto Luna with the other. Smirking widely, Draco hurried out of the room.

Scarlett tried to jerk out of Marcus Flint's grip, but he was too strong. He laughed even harder than before. "Not going to happen," he said.

Umbridge made her way over to stand in front of Scarlett. "I know what you were looking for," she said quietly, while still managing to keep her girly smile on her face.

"Yeah, well, I'm not going to give up. I'm going to find what I was looking for and prove you're lying."

"That will be impossible, Miss Callaway," Umbridge giggled, "because I did not lie."

"You did. I know you did," Scarlett said through gritted teeth. She was aware of everyone watching her, but didn't break her gaze from Umbridge's. Before the toad could answer, there were footsteps in the hallway.

"I'm not done with you," Umbridge sneered as Draco re-entered the room with Professor Snape, who stood in the doorway as if he couldn't bear to set foot in such a ridiculously decorated room. Scarlett actually couldn't blame him.

"You sent for me?" Snape asked, looking at Umbridge.

"Ah, yes, Professor Snape," Umbridge said, walking back and standing beside Harry's chair. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veriteserum as quickly as you can, please."

It was then that Scarlett wished she could either get her hands on or brew Veriteserum on her own. If she could, and if she could have come up with a great plan, it would have been the perfect way to get Umbridge to confess. However, getting her hands on some was nearly impossible and no use to her now, held captive in Umbridge's office.

"I believe you used the last of what I had on Miss Edgecombe," Snape said.

"You can make some more, can't you?" Umbridge asked.

"Certainly," Snape said after a brief pause. "It should be ready in a month."

"A month?" Umbridge practically shrieked. "But I need it tonight! I've just found Potter using my fire to communicate with someone!"

"Really?" Snape said, looking at Harry. "I'm not surprised."

"I wish to interrogate him," Umbridge said.

"Well, as I've told you, I have no Veriteserum left, so I cannot help you."

"You are on probation!" Umbridge yelled. "You are being very unhelpful! Now, get out of my office!"

Snape raised his eyebrows slightly before glancing around the room and taking in the kitten plates on the wall and the overwhelming amount of pink. "Gladly," he said slowly before turning towards the door.

"He's got Padfoot!" Harry suddenly yelled. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!"

Snape paused halfway out the door.

"Padfoot?" Umbridge asked. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?"

Scarlett was wondering the same thing. She guessed it had something to do with Sirius, but she didn't know exactly what and she didn't know if Snape would pick up on the code either, even if he was part of the Order.

Snape stared between Umbridge and Harry, his expression unreadable. "I have no idea," he said before turning and leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Very well," Umbridge said again, taking another deep breath. "I am left with no alternative. I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice." She pulled out her wand and slowly twirled it between her fingers. "The Cruciatus Curse should loosen your tongue, Potter."

"That's illegal!" Hermione cried. "The Minister wouldn't want you to break the law!"

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him. He never knew I set the dementors after Potter last summer, and he still would've gladly expelled him just the same."

"_You_ set the dementors after me?" Harry asked.

Umbridge nodded. "Somebody had to act. Everyone was complaining about silencing you, but I actually did something about it." She turned her wand on him and took a breath.

"Wait!" Hermione yelled. "Harry, we have to tell her."

"What?" Harry asked, looking aghast.

"She'll force it out of us anyway," Hermione said. And then she began to cry.

"All right, well tell me!" Umbridge said eagerly.

Ginny, Ron and Harry were staring at Hermione, shocked. Luna was off in another world as usual and Neville looked confused. Scarlett felt the same way. She had no idea what was going on.

"Well," Hermione gulped, looking up. It was then that Scarlett noticed there were no tears in her eyes. She had been faking, which meant that she had a plan.

"Well, what?" Umbridge prodded.

"Harry was trying to speak to Dumbledore."

"You know where he is, then?" Umbridge asked.

"No," Hermione sighed. "We tried the Leaky Cauldron, The Three Broomsticks…."

"Silly girl!" Umbridge laughed. "Dumbledore won't be sitting in a pub when he knows the Ministry is after him!"

"Well, we were desperate!" Hermione said shakily. "We needed to get in touch with him to tell him that it's ready."

"That _what's_ ready?"

"The weapon! He left us to finish it and we finally did so we needed to tell him!"

"Weapon? Well, where is it?" Umbridge looked about ready to explode with happiness.

"It's very well hidden," Hermione said. "We couldn't risk someone coming across it."

"Well, you and Potter can take me to it." Umbridge signaled for Millicent Bulstrode to let go of Hermione. "Go on. Lead the way," Umbridge said, prodding Harry to his feet with her wand. She turned to the remaining occupants of the room. "I'll be back to deal with the rest of you later."

When she was gone, the room was thrown into total silence. Scarlett was thinking that she would have had better luck going to Dumbledore's office after all, but she didn't dare say that out loud with the Inquisitorial Squad there.

Flint began twisting one of her arms and he chuckled when Scarlett grimaced.

"Is that a form of entertainment for you?" she asked, trying not to cry out in pain as Flint twisted her arm harder.

"Yeah," he answered, still laughing. "Why, is it a problem?"

"No, not at all. Please, carry on trying to rip off my arm," Scarlett answered sarcastically.

"Gladly," Flint smirked, twisting her arm so hard that tears actually formed in Scarlett's eyes.

"Clearly you didn't pick up on the sarcasm," she muttered.

"Of course I did," he shrugged. "I just chose to ignore it."

Scarlett began nervously chewing on her lip. She wondered what was going to happen when Umbridge came back and what kind of punishment she was going to give out.

"I'm hungry," Goyle suddenly complained.

"Honestly, Goyle," Malfoy scoffed.

Ron awkwardly stuck his hand into his pocket, a difficult task with his arms being pinned down by a Slytherin. "Here," he finally said, bringing out a handful of sweets wrapped in bright paper. Scarlett recognized them right away. They were the same ones she, Fred and George had given to Umbridge—the Skiving Snackboxes.

Crabbe and Goyle were the first to grab a piece, but one by one, the others took a piece and soon, Ron's hand was empty. Within another few seconds, every member of the Inquisitorial Squad had a bloody nose.

Flint let go of Scarlett as if she were on fire in order to put his hands to his face. Scarlett snatched her wand out of his robe pocket and hurried out the door after the others, but not before stomping on Flint's foot as hard as she could.

"So, what next?" Neville asked.

"We go catch up with Hermione and Harry," Ron said instantly.

"Are you coming?" Ginny asked Scarlett.

"I don't think so," she replied slowly. "I think I should give Dumbledore's office a try now that I know Umbridge is distracted for sure."

"But you won't even get in! There's no way for you to get inside," Ginny said. "And didn't you hear Hermione earlier? The records are charmed, so it's useless. You might as well come help us. Harry's going to need all the help he can get."

Scarlett hesitated. She knew where they were most likely headed after they caught up with Harry and Hermione, but was it worth it? If they got caught or something happened, then they would surely all be in lots of trouble. Especially with Umbridge around. Besides, was even Scarlett's place to go with them? They were going to rescue Harry's godfather. She didn't feel like it was her place to butt in. However, she had spent a month of her summer as well as her Christmas holiday in Sirius's house and she considered him a friend now.

"It's what Dumbledore's Army was all about, wasn't it?" Neville asked, interrupting her thoughts. "Doing something, right?"

"Oh, yes," Luna said, nodding. "I agree."

Scarlett had to admit, she agreed as well. She sighed. "Okay, I'll come."

"All right, now let's go before we waste any more time," Ginny said.

They walked as fast as they could out through the front doors and towards the forest.

"Is that them?" Neville asked, pointing at two specks in the distance at the edge of the trees.

"Yeah," Scarlett said slowly, squinting towards the two figures, "but it's just Harry and Hermione. Where's Umbridge?"

They began walking even faster. The quicker they walked, the quicker they'd find out what was going on.

"How'd you manage to get rid of Umbridge?" Ron asked the moment the two groups had met up.

"She insulted the centaurs and they took her away," Hermione said with a slight smile. "How'd you get away from the Inquisitorial Squad?"

"It was Ron's idea," Ginny said, grinning. "He gave them all Nosebleed Nougats."

"Brilliant!" Hermione exclaimed.

"So," Ron said, "what's next, Harry?"

"The Ministry. I'm almost certain Sirius is there."

"But how do we get there?" Ginny asked. "Not all of us have brooms…."

"What do you mean, how do _we_ get there? All of you can't come!" Harry looked at Ginny, Luna, Neville and Scarlett.

"We want to!" Ginny cried.

"It's what Dumbledore's Army was all about!" Neville said again. "It was about _doing_ something. Or everything you said-was it all just words to you?"

Harry hesitated. "I can't put all of you in danger."

"We want to come with you," Ginny said.

"Yes, and Neville's right," Luna added. "It's what we all signed up for, really. We knew we would need to defend ourselves one day."

"Yes, but against Voldemort!"

"Isn't he at the Minsitry?" Luna asked, tilting her head. "From what you said earlier, he's holding Sirius captive. So we will be defending ourselves against Voldemort."

"He's not attacking any of you. You don't have to put yourselves in danger," Harry argued.

"We want to come," Ginny said again, crossing her arms. She wasn't backing down. Scarlett kind of had to admire that about her.

Harry didn't say anything for a moment. "Fine, but we still don't have any way to actually _get_ to the Ministry."

"We can fly," Luna suggested with an airy smile.

"Haven't we just said that not all of us have brooms?" Harry asked impatiently.

"I didn't mean on brooms," Luna replied. She pointed to a spot just over Harry's shoulder. Everyone turned to look where she was pointing. Scarlett frowned. She didn't see a thing. Harry, however, was nodding, and Neville was grinning.

"Thestrals," Harry said. "I didn't even think about them."

"You mean those things Hagrid talked about?" Ron asked. "The things that can be seen only by people who've seen death?"

Harry nodded and walked over to what Scarlett assumed was a thestral. Luna and Neville did the same. "There are exactly seven of them, too, so everyone gets one," Harry continued.

Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Scarlett immediately began walking around with their arms outstretched. "That's great, Harry," Scarlett said, "but the four of _us_ can't see them."

"You can't see them?" Ginny asked.

"No," Scarlett replied, shaking her head.

"But weren't you in the car when—well, you know, when the accident happened? It's what you told me over the summer."

"Well, yes, but I'm guessing I can't see them because I was unconscious from the time of the accident until two days later. I didn't actually _see_ my dad die."

Ginny nodded. "So, where are these thestrals?" she asked.

"Here, I'll help." Luna had been already sitting on her own thestral, but as she spoke, she slid down to the ground. She led Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Scarlett each to a thestral before returning to her own once again.

"So, uh, we need to get to the Ministry," Harry said to his thestral. "In London," he added.

Nothing happened for a moment and Scarlett was beginning to wonder just how to get the thestrals to move when they finally took off all at once and headed for the Ministry of Magic. Scarlett squeezed her eyes shut. There was no turning back now.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so Scarlett's going to the Ministry. I debated over whether or not she should go, but the story just kind of flowed into her going and besides, I really like the whole Department of Mysteries scene. I'll keep all that to just the next chapter though so things can be moved along a little bit. I know everyone's anxious for her to break up with Justin, and don't worry, it's coming. It shouldn't be too much longer. Honestly, I think I'm just as anxious as everyone else and I know what's going to happen! I'm trying to not make this too drawn out, but I also didn't want them to break up too early and you'll see why in the next few chapters.**

**Thanks so much for all the feedback! **


	30. Chapter 30

"_When your teammate's in trouble, you go! Not caring what dangers you may face, you go! _

_Not knowing if you're coming back dead or alive…you go!"_

**-Rhino (Bolt)**

* * *

"He should be right here," Harry said, turning in a circle and holding his illuminated wand in the air.

They had made it inside the Ministry with surprisingly no trouble at all and worked their way through room after room of the Department of Mysteries. Scarlett had only been there for ten minutes and she had easily come to the conclusion that this place was one of the strangest she'd ever been in.

Nobody said anything in response to Harry's statement. Scarlett shivered slightly as she gazed around the room. It was huge and filled with floor to ceiling shelves that contained thousands of small glass balls.

"Hey, Harry, this one has your name on it," Neville said from behind Scarlett. She turned and followed his gaze to a shelf a few above her head.

"He's right," she said in surprise.

Harry made his way past them and looked at the label under the glass ball, frowning slightly.

"Do you know what it means, Harry?" Ron asked. "Do you know what it _is_?"

Harry shook his head as he reached out to grab the smooth, round object.

"Don't, Harry," Hermione warned. "It could be dangerous."

Harry paused, but only for a second. In the end, he chose to ignore Hermione's warning.

Scarlett let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She didn't know what she expected to happen, but everything remained still as Harry pulled the ball off the shelf. That is, until a quiet voice spoke from behind them.

"Very good, Potter, now give that to me."

The man standing behind them was dressed in dark clothing and a mask. He slid the mask off of his face and Scarlett recognized him at once. As if she hadn't seen enough of the Malfoy family for one day, Lucius Malfoy stood in front of them, holding out his hand and waiting for Harry to hand over the object clasped in his fingers.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked.

Malfoy chuckled. "You know, Potter, you should learn to not believe everything you see."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.

Malfoy shook his head and smirked. "The Dark Lord needed you here, Potter. He needed you to come get that prophecy."

"Oh, so that's what this is?" Harry said. He tossed the prophecy a few inches into the air before catching it again. Scarlett could see Malfoy's eyes following it. "What's this prophecy say?" Harry asked.

"You mean you don't know?" Malfoy asked, smirking again. "Have you ever wondered _why_ the Dark Lord killed your parents? Have you ever wanted to know the story behind your scar?"

Harry didn't answer, but he gazed down at the prophecy in his hand. More Death Eaters began to close in on them in the silence, blocking every direction.

"If you just hand it over, you can find out the answers to those questions," Malfoy continued.

As he had been talking, Scarlett saw Harry mutter something to Hermione, barely moving his lips. A second later, she turned to Scarlett.

"When Harry says to, start sending Stunners everywhere."

"If you do anything to us, I'll break it," Harry said to Malfoy as Scarlett passed the message on to Neville.

Suddenly, a high pitched laugh came from behind Malfoy. A woman appeared just over his shoulder.

"He knows how to play!" she cackled.

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Neville whispered.

"Neville Longbottom!" Bellatrix laughed. "How're mum and dad doing?"

"Better now that they're about to be avenged," Neville said, raising his wand at the same time Bellatrix raised hers. Harry forced Neville's arm down.

"Now, now, Bella," Malfoy said gently. "We don't want to start trouble. We just want that prophecy."

"I've waited fourteen years for answers," Harry said slowly.

"I know," Malfoy said, trying to be sympathetic.

"But," Harry continued, "I think I can wait a little bit longer. Now!"

Seven Stunner spells shot out in all different directions, but the Death Eaters were quick. They began to disappear and everyone knew that it wasn't for good.

Scarlett picked a direction and ran. She didn't think any of the others were around her and that made her nervous. What if something happened to them?

Scarlett's path was suddenly cut off by a Death Eater. As he advanced towards her, she backed up a few steps before trying to Stun him. He ducked and the spell hit one of the shelves just over his head.

Glass, dust and debris rained down on them, but Scarlett shot another Stunner spell in the direction of the Death Eater. She must have missed again, because as the dust cleared slightly, she could see him moving towards her again, firing spells rapidly. Scarlett mentally cursed. This wasn't going so well.

Not quite sure how she was doing it, Scarlett managed to dodge every spell the Death Eater sent her way. She backed up a few more steps and walked right into someone. Whirling around, she saw it was another Death Eater. He spun her around and grabbed one of her arms, pulling it roughly behind her as she cried out in pain. He threw his other arm around her neck, pulling her head against his shoulder and practically choking her.

"Hold still," he said, and Scarlett knew he was smirking. "It's easier to hit you if you stop moving."

"Not going to happen," Scarlett managed to choke out, struggling against him.

The first Death Eater started firing more spells, but since Scarlett was still moving and struggling, one of the spells hit the Death Eater behind her. He fell to the ground, freeing Scarlett from his grip. She shot another Stunner at the Death Eater in front of her as she gasped for breath. This time it hit him and he flew backwards into a shelf. Even more glass and dust were thrown into the air. One shard cut into Scarlett's cheek and the pain seemed to snap her into motion. She turned and ran the other way, hoping to run into someone soon—someone who wasn't a Death Eater.

After a moment, she rounded a corner and saw Neville and Luna fighting a Death Eater not too far away.

"Stupefy!" Neville yelled. The spell was very well aimed and hit the Death Eater right in the chest.

"Well done, Neville," Luna said, grabbing his hand and pulling him away. Scarlett caught up to them just as they turned around.

"Have you seen any of the others?" she asked, brushing her cheek with the back of her hand. She hardly noticed the blood that wiped off.

"No," Luna said, shaking her head, "but I think it would be best if we went to find them, don't you agree?"

Scarlett nodded and the three of them began running, almost aimlessly, trying to find the others.

After a few minutes, they managed to catch up with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, who were luckily all unharmed.

"We need to get out of here," Harry said. "We should blast all of the shelves and that should hopefully distract the Death Eaters, if not get rid of them completely. Then we'll run for the door."

"Which way would that be?" Ron asked.

Harry paused. "That way," he finally said, pointing. He took a breath. "Ready?"

"Which one of us should do it?" Hermione asked, gazing at the shelves.

Nobody answered for a moment, but then Ginny spoke up. "I'll do it." She raised her wand. "Reducto!"

The shelves at the far end of the room started to collapse. Without hesitation, the seven of them turned and ran.

Harry's idea to get rid of the Death Eaters didn't exactly work, though. They heard the commotion and began to appear from all angles.

"We're not going to make it, are we?" Scarlett yelled.

"Just run!" Harry answered.

Scarlett ran as fast as she could. She was _not_ going to die. She didn't want to die for one thing, and for another, if she died, Fred died. She was stupid to come here in the first place. She and Fred had to be careful until they were married and the vow was fulfilled. Then again, she had agreed to come along for Harry and for Sirius and because Neville had been right; this was what Dumbledore's Army had been all about. Choosing to stay at Hogwarts would have been safer, but she would have felt terribly guilty. Now she was just going to have to fight for her life, and of course, Fred's.

Scarlett could now see the door and she ran even faster. She hoped it was her imagination, but she almost thought the falling shelves and the Death Eaters were gaining on them.

A few seconds later, they finally raced through the door and slammed it shut against the Death Eaters.

"There are other ways in!" Malfoy yelled from the other side.

"Lock the other doors," Harry ordered.

Scarlett turned and saw that they were back in the circular room that they had come through earlier. She hurried to a door and was just about to lock it when it was flung open, throwing Scarlett to the ground.

"They're in here!" Bellatrix yelled. "Get them!"

Scarlett jumped to her feet and the first people her eyes fell on were Ron, Ginny and Luna. She raced after them and followed them into another room. She slammed the door behind her and locked it at once. Turning around, she nearly gasped. They were _floating_ in a dark room full of planets.

"What is this room?" Ginny asked quietly.

"No idea," Scarlett shrugged. She could hear the Death Eaters banging on the door, but they hadn't gotten through yet. "We should get out of here," Scarlett continued, pointing at the door on the other side of the room.

The others agreed and they began making their way across the room. It was slow going, though. They had to move their arms and legs frantically to even move at all. It felt like trying to swim through molasses.

Halfway across the room, the door behind them burst open and a group of Death Eaters barged in, led by Bellatrix Lestrange.

Scarlett tried to move faster, but it was difficult. A jet of light soared over her shoulder and she managed to duck just in time. Ron, however, wasn't so lucky. The spell hit him and he stopped right where he was, looking around dazedly.

"Ron!" Ginny screamed. She struggled through the air towards him and shook his shoulders. Ron laughed as if she had done something funny. "What do you think they did to him?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know," Scarlett answered, "but we don't have time to figure it out now. We have to get out of here; they're gaining on us." She glanced back at the Death Eaters.

Ginny and Scarlett each grabbed one of Ron's arms and fought their way towards the door. It was even slower going than before since they could no longer use their arms to propel themselves forward.

Luna made it to the door first and pulled it open, holding it in place for Ginny, Scarlett and Ron. The two girls shoved Ron through before clambering through themselves. Luna followed and shut the door behind her, locking it just as the Death Eaters reached it.

"That was close," Ginny sighed.

Scarlett looked around. The room was nearly completely dark. She could hardly see a thing.

"Where is everyone?" Ron whined. "Where did everyone go?"

"We're here, Ron," Ginny said, sighing again.

"Oh, good," Ron said. He let out a small giggle. "That planet room was cool, wasn't it? We saw Uranus up close! Get it?" He laughed again.

"Always the classy one, Ron," Scarlett sighed, rolling her eyes. As much as she didn't want to, she found herself smiling slightly. She lit her wand and looked around the room as Ginny and Luna did the same. The room was very cluttered. It looked like a room full of unused junk, but who knew exactly what it was. They were in the Department of Mysteries after all.

"There's a door over there!" Luna pointed.

She was right. Across the room, just barely in the range of their lit wands, was another wooden door.

"Come on, let's go," Scarlett said determinedly.

"Luna and I will get Ron," Ginny offered.

Scarlett nodded and began picking her way across the room. "There's a lot of stuff on the ground, so be careful not to trip," she warned.

The words were barely out of her mouth when there was a crash from behind her. She whirled around to see Ron and Ginny on the ground and Luna teetering on her tiptoes, trying to keep her balance as Ron still clung to her arm.

"What happened?" Scarlett asked.

"Ron fell," Luna said simply, "and took Ginny with him."

"Are you two okay?" Scarlett asked with a sigh.

Ron was laughing goofily and didn't answer. At least someone thought the fall was amusing.

"_He_ seems fine," Luna observed.

"Ginny?" Scarlett asked.

"I think my ankle is broken," Ginny answered through gritted teeth. It was then that Scarlett noticed the large box that had fallen on top of Ginny's leg. She quickly levitated it off and knelt down.

"Yeah," she said, "it definitely looks broken."

"Hey, Scarlett," Ron suddenly laughed, tugging on her sleeve. "You're a Healer, aren't you? You can fix her ankle!"

"Well, no, I'm not a Healer _yet_," Scarlett said. _I might not even get to be one at all if Umbridge has her way_, she thought.

"But once you leave Hogwarts you'll be able to start training!" Ginny jumped in.

"Ginny, I might not-,"

"Forget about Umbridge. She's lying. We all know it. You have the skills to become a Healer and I know you must be able to mend bones by now."

"I don't—I haven't mended _many_ yet. I've only learned the concept and practiced only a few times. There aren't many people I know who have broken bones and I can't go breaking bones on purpose for the sake of practicing. It's-,"

"Scarlett, just shut up," Ginny said with a grimace. "I trust you, so give it a go. Please."

Scarlett took a deep breath and nodded. She raised her wand and was about to cast the spell when the Death Eaters burst into the room. Scarlett let out a few curse words and stood up. She aimed her wand at a pile of stuff on a table, causing it to fall over and slow the Death Eaters down.

"Luna, you help Ginny," Scarlett said. "I'll grab Ron."

As Luna helped Ginny to her feet, Scarlett grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him to a standing position. She tugged on his arm until he moved and dragged him towards the door, not allowing him to stop, even though he kept trying to. Finally reaching the door, she gently pushed Ron through it before turning to help Luna with Ginny. Once again, they managed to get through and slam the door in the Death Eaters faces.

"We're back here again?" Ginny asked perplexedly as she slid down the wall to the floor.

Scarlett turned around. They were back in the circular room with multiple doors. "Is there no way out?" she sighed.

"Well, there has to be, seeing as there was a way in," Luna shrugged. Nobody said anything in response. They didn't know _what_ to say. Luna was right, of course, but they didn't know where they had come in from in the first place. Besides, they had no idea where Harry, Hermione and Neville were.

Just then, one of the doors flew open. Scarlett and Luna raised their wands and so did Ginny, even though she was on the floor. Ron just stared at the ceiling.

Scarlett sighed with relief when she saw it was only Harry, Hermione and Neville, but she was worried all over again when she registered that Neville's nose was crooked and bleeding and he was carrying an unconscious Hermione.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"We could ask you the same question," Scarlett replied.

"We don't know what they hit Hermione with. She's unconscious, but she has a pulse. And Neville's nose is broken."

"Ginny broke her ankle and Ron was hit with something….We don't know what it is, but he's gone a bit funny," Luna said.

As if to prove her point, Ron staggered forward and latched onto Harry's arm. "Harry, do you know who that girl is?" He pointed at Luna. "She's Looney Lovegood! Ha, ha! And guess what? We saw Uranus up close!"

"What is he talking about?" Harry asked.

"We went into a room full of planets," Scarlett explained.

"Yes, it was quite odd. We were floating in the air the whole time," Luna said. "That's where the Death Eaters hit Ron."

Harry nodded and looked around. "We should try to find the exit."

"Wait," Ginny interrupted. "Scarlett was just about to heal my ankle. She can do Neville's nose, too."

Everyone looked at Scarlett, who sighed. "Fine." She walked over to Neville and aimed her wand at his nose. "Episkey." With a crack and a whimper of pain from Neville, his nose was fixed.

"Thanks," he said, sounding relieved.

"Don't mention it." Scarlett quickly turned to Ginny, but the timing was off again because just as she took a step forward, the Death Eaters burst in on them once again.

Harry chose a door at random and shoved it open, ushering Ron through. Neville ran through next and the three girls brought up the rear, Ginny being supported by Scarlett and Luna.

"That keeps happening," Scarlett noted as Harry shut the Death Eaters out in the nick of time.

"Yeah, but oddly enough, I don't mind," Harry muttered.

Scarlett took a breath and looked around. They were back in the room with the glass container of brains.

"Come on," Harry ordered, "let's lock the other doors in here."

Luna and Scarlett sat Ginny on the floor against the wall before the two of them joined Harry and Neville in rushing to get the doors locked. They almost succeeded, too, but just as Luna was heading for the final door, Bellatrix barged through it and blasted Luna out of the way as if she were a piece of debris.

"Wonderful," Scarlett sighed as Luna was thrown to the ground, unconscious. The Death Eaters started firing spells left and right, trying to aim for Harry, Neville and Scarlett, the last three standing.

"Hey, Harry!" Ron suddenly cried. "Harry, look at these brains! Aren't they cool?"

"Leave them alone, Ron," Harry ordered, trying to keep his eye on Ron while fighting off as many Death Eaters as he could.

Scarlett tried to do the same, but it was difficult. She was distracted and she was narrowly missing the spells a big, burly Death Eater was shooting at her.

The whole entire room suddenly fell silent and froze, though, when Ron held up his wand. "Accio brain!"

One of the brains slowly rose from the container and began flying towards Ron. He caught it and began laughing, but the laughter didn't last long. The brain's tentacles began winding their way around Ron's arms.

"I don't like this. Make it stop," he whined.

"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" Ginny shouted.

Her words seemed to bring the Death Eaters back into action and they started shooting spells again. Scarlett began to feel that she wasn't going to be able to keep blocking the continuous spells much longer.

As it turned out, she was partly right. She took a glance at Ron to see him still struggling with the brain, so she shot a quick, but well aimed spell at the tentacles, which fell away immediately. In doing that, she narrowly missed a spell sent by a Death Eater and had to take a few steps backwards. As she did, her foot caught on Luna's unconscious body and Scarlett found herself tumbling to the ground. Her shoulder blade rammed into the corner of a table and when she landed on the hand she put out to break her fall, she felt pain shoot up her arm. She could tell nothing was broken, but she suspected her wrist was sprained.

The Death Eater Scarlett had been fighting let out a loud laugh and raised his wand to send another spell her way, but Bellatrix ran past him and tapped his shoulder before gesturing with her chin into the next room. Scarlett looked around and noticed that Harry wasn't there anymore. That must be why the Death Eaters were going into the next room—Harry had gone in there. Most likely to lure the Death Eaters away from Scarlett and Neville and avoid any more injuries.

"Scarlett, can you stay here and help Ginny, Ron and Luna?" Neville asked, kneeling beside her. "I'm going to go help Harry."

"Neville, wait, I'll come with you. The more people fighting, the better, right?"

Neville shook his head. "I think it'd be better if someone stayed here. Just try to get everybody healed."

"Neville," Scarlett began, but he had already stood up and disappeared. "I'm not an official Healer yet!" she called, but she was sure nobody heard. She sighed before aiming her wand at her wrist and fixing it. That was what hurt the most. Her shoulder wasn't a problem. It was just a cut. She could heal that and her cut cheek later. She crawled over to Ginny and fixed her ankle before waving her wand and causing her to wake up.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked.

"Harry and Neville are in the next room, fighting the Death Eaters. Neville told me to stay here with you, Luna and Ron. I fixed your ankle, by the way."

"Finally," Ginny sighed, rotating her ankle as loud noises came from the next room. "We should go after them."

Scarlett sighed. "As much as I want to help them, let's wait here a little bit longer. If things sound like they're getting worse in a little while, then we'll go in. Besides, Neville wants me to stay here and try to heal any injuries and I suppose it makes sense that I do so." She made her way over to Luna and waved her wand again, causing Luna to blink her eyes open. Scarlett gave her a brief summary of what was going on before sitting back on her heels and looking at Ron, who was standing silently in the middle of the room, looking around.

"What are you going to do about him?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know what they hit him with," Scarlett whispered, "so I don't know how to fix it."

"I think it's wearing off," Luna said.

"What makes you say that?" Scarlett asked.

"He's not babbling like he was before," Luna shrugged, "and he doesn't seem as dazed."

"You're right," Scarlett said. She stood up and walked over to Ron. "Hey," she whispered gently, touching his arm. "Ron? How are you feeling?"

He turned to look at her, a puzzled expression on his face.

"I don't really remember much of what happened to me," he said. "I think I acted really stupid." He let out a tiny laugh and a hiccup.

Scarlett smiled. "Yeah, maybe a little."

"My arms hurt." Ron held out his arms. Where the brain's tentacles had touched his skin were now large, red marks. "I don't really remember how they got there."

"You summoned one of those brains," Scarlett told him.

"Can you fix them?"

"I can try." Scarlett lifted her wand, but before she could do anything, there was a loud bang as the door behind them was flung open and members of the Order started pouring in.

"Harry. Where's Harry?" Sirius panted.

Scarlett wordlessly pointed into the next room. Sirius immediately headed in that direction followed by Mad-Eye, Kingsley and Lupin. Tonks stayed behind long enough to ask Scarlett if everyone was okay.

"Yeah, for the most part," Scarlett shrugged. "I fixed Ginny's ankle already, but-,"

"Great," Tonks interrupted. "I'm going to need you four to stay here. It'll be a lot safer. The Order will handle the Death Eaters. We don't need any more injuries no matter how good Scarlett is at fixing them." She gave Scarlett a small smile.

"We can't stay here!" Ginny cried.

"Just stay. We've got this under control."

As soon as Tonks was gone, Ginny got to her feet. "Come on. We need to help them."

Scarlett didn't even try to argue. Besides Ginny being right, Scarlett would feel terrible if they sat back and did nothing. They had come this far together, so it only made sense that they finish it together.

The room Harry and the Death Eaters had been in was a room they had seen earlier with an eerie, veil-covered archway in the middle. Currently, everything was in chaos. Every Order member that had arrived was fighting with a Death Eaters. Neville had been hit with a curse that was making his legs flail around uncontrollably and Harry was trying to help him up the large stone steps. Halfway there, Neville accidentally kicked the prophecy out of Harry's hand, smashing it into a million little pieces.

Scarlett darted down the steps and tried to grab Neville's ankles in the hopes of being able to pin them down, but they kept darting out of reach.

"You don't happen to know the counter curse, do you?" Harry asked through gritted teeth.

"If I knew it, I wouldn't be doing this." Scarlett lunged for Neville's ankles again to no avail. Instead, his foot collided with her cheek and she leapt back with a gasp.

"Sorry, sorry!" Neville said anxiously.

"Don't worry about it," Scarlett said, wincing as she lightly touched her cheek. "It'll just bruise."

Suddenly, Harry gasped. When Scarlett looked up, she saw that he was staring over her shoulder, his eyes wide. "Sirius," he whispered.

Scarlett turned and saw Sirius dueling Bellatrix. Even from where Scarlett was kneeling, she could see the crazy look in the dark haired witch's eyes.

"Is that the best you can do?" Sirius taunted with a laugh.

It wouldn't take a genius to know that the remark would anger Bellatrix even more. It had probably been the intention after all. That's why Scarlett knew what was going to happen before it did. And while everyone else seemed frozen in shock, she managed to actually do something about it.

"Levicorpus!" She shot the spell from across the room and it hit Bellatrix just as she aimed a killing curse at Sirius. She was instantly suspended in the air as the spell flew over Sirius' head and hit the opposite wall of the room.

"What was that for? Let me down now, you little brat!" Bellatrix screamed.

"I wasn't about to let you kill him," Scarlett said coolly. She was honestly surprised that her voice didn't shake with fear. She lifted the spell and let Bellatrix crumple to the ground.

"Perhaps I'll just kill you instead then!" Bellatrix stood and raised her wand, but the second she did, her eyes darted to a point just over Scarlett's shoulder and she froze. Scarlett desperately wanted to turn around, but she was afraid that it was all a trick so that her back would be turned and Bellatrix could kill her easily.

She knew she was wrong a second later when she heard Neville cry, "Dumbledore!"

* * *

**A/N: So I kept Sirius alive...Originally I wrote this chapter with him dying, but then I thought of a way he could come back in a later chapter and do something pretty helpful for Scarlett, so I kept him alive mainly for that reason. You'll just have to stay tuned to find out what he's going to do and why!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	31. Chapter 31

_"If you can dream it, you can do it."_

**-Walt Disney**

* * *

Scarlett sat in the hospital wing with the heels of her feet resting on the bedframe, her arms wrapped around her knees, and her eyes staring out the window but not really seeing anything.

The rest of her time in the Department of Mysteries had been a blur, to say the least. After Dumbledore had arrived, he had begun rounding up the Death Eaters as Harry and Scarlett continued heaving Neville the rest of the way up the stairs. Just as they reached the top, Bellatrix had made a run for it. Harry chased after her, and Dumbledore chased after Harry. They ended up in the Ministry's Atrium where Voldemort arrived. Dumbledore proceeded to fight him until Cornelius Fudge himself arrived. Voldemort disappeared, but not before the Minister had gotten a glimpse of him.

Of course, Scarlett hadn't witnessed all of this. She had still been in the Department of Mysteries making sure that everyone was in decent enough shape to leave. Lupin had performed the counter curse to fix Neville's legs, which had been a huge relief. When Dumbledore returned after dealing with business upstairs, he had sent everyone back to school. Harry was to wait in Dumbledore's office and everyone else was to go to the hospital wing.

Madame Pomfrey had instructed Neville to put Hermione on a bed before ushering Ron onto the next one. Neville, Ginny and Luna had sat down at the foot of the bed while Scarlett sat on the next one over.

"Let's see what we have here, shall we?" Madame Pomfrey said, bending over Scarlett and gently grabbing her chin, turning her face back and forth. "You're already getting quite the bruise, but that's easily fixable." She tapped Scarlett's cheek with her wand. "It'll have faded by tomorrow morning. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Scarlett shook her head. "Just my other cheek and my shoulder. I sprained my wrist, but I fixed that myself."

Madame Pomfrey didn't speak as she quickly healed Scarlett's shoulder blade and cut cheek. "Miss Weasley told me how you fixed her ankle and Mr. Longbottom's nose. You did a very good job."

Scarlett glanced over at the next bed, where Luna, Ginny, Ron and Neville were all lost in conversation. "Will Ron be okay?" she asked. "And Hermione?"

"They'll both be fine. Mr. Weasley needs to stay overnight so I can keep an eye on him, but by tomorrow, he should be ready to go." She paused. "You know, Miss Callaway, you would make a fantastic Healer. You were a tremendous help three years ago when you helped me with the Petrified students."

Scarlett shrugged. "After tonight, I'm not sure. I didn't know what they hit Ron with that made him go all funny…." She refrained from mentioning the other huge roadblock in her way of becoming a Healer: Umbridge.

"No one would expect you to! It was highly advanced magic."

"But how can I be a Healer if-,"

"In the time up until you graduate, you really only learn the basics. Once you graduate, you can begin training, where you'll learn more advanced cures. Besides, even the best Healers don't know everything about every case they get. But they do their best to figure it out and there are always researchers discovering new things as well."

Scarlett sighed and chewed her lip. She had never doubted herself before, so why now? It probably had to do with the fact that Umbridge had said she couldn't become a Healer, so now she was convincing herself that it really wasn't for her so that it would soften the blow. But she couldn't let that old toad get to her. She had wanted to be a Healer so badly ever since her father had died and Umbridge wasn't going to stop her.

"Thanks," Scarlett finally whispered, looking up at Madame Pomfrey.

"Of course, dear," she smiled.

"Who's behind that curtain?" Scarlett asked, gesturing the bed across the room.

"Professor Umbridge," Madame Pomfrey answered. "She burst in here earlier this evening looking quite distraught and, well, not herself. She's going to have to go to St. Mungo's for a bit, but she'll be okay in the end."

"Great," Scarlett sighed, rolling her eyes and wondering why the centaurs hadn't just trampled the toad.

A smile tugged at the corners of Madame Pomfrey's mouth, but disappeared quickly. "She certainly won't be teaching here anymore, that's for sure."

Scarlett nodded, but didn't have time to reply. The doors to the hospital wing had flown open and now Justin was tearing across the room with Erica at his heels.

"Justin?" Scarlett asked in surprise. She stood up and he grabbed her in a hug, spinning her around. Scarlett actually smiled for what she felt had been the first time that night. "What are you doing here?"

"Erica and I were worried when you disappeared off the face of the Earth after your exam. I went back to the common room after my own exam and Erica was in there. She said she didn't know where you went, so we waited in the common room for a while, but eventually we went out to look for you. We looked everywhere and were going to resort to sitting on the entrance hall steps as if you were going to come waltzing in the front door, but then we ran into Dumbledore not too long ago. He told us you were in the hospital wing."

"Justin was a wreck the whole time," Erica said, laughing.

Justin turned a light shade of pink before looking at Scarlett again. "What happened?"

Scarlett looked over her shoulder at Ginny, Neville, Ron and Luna, who were all watching her. She was unsure if she could or should tell the whole story.

"Go on, tell them. It'll get out anyway," Ginny shrugged. "And so will a ton of rumors so it's better that they get the truth."

Scarlett turned back to Erica and Justin. "I was at the Ministry of Magic. In the Department of Mysteries to be specific." She sat down on the bed again as Justin and Erica sat down on the next one, looking at her and waiting for her to continue.

"Why?" Justin asked. He noticed the bruise on her cheek. "And how did you get that?"

Neville cleared his throat guiltily. "That was my fault. I accidentally kicked her."

"He couldn't help it," Scarlett said quickly. "One of the Death Eaters-,"

"Death Eaters?" Erica asked, her eyes widening.

Scarlett nodded and began to tell them everything. She started at the beginning, from where she had decided to check Dumbledore's office, up until coming back to Hogwarts. She even included the fact that Sirius was Harry's godfather and completely innocent.

"Are you mental?" Justin asked. "Why did you go tearing off to the Ministry in the first place? You could have easily said no after you escaped from the Inquisitorial Squad."

"Going to the Ministry was the right thing to do. It was pointless for me to go to Dumbledore's office and I certainly couldn't sit around in the common room, doing nothing, while everyone else went to go help Harry. Besides, it is what the D.A. was about." Scarlett glanced at Neville, who smiled.

"So you ran off to the Ministry and put yourself in danger for an alleged murderer?"

"He's not! He was innocent the whole time!"

"How do you know?"

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione know and I trust them. My mother knew, and so did Dumbledore and I trust them as well. Besides, I met him myself and he's a good guy."

"Meeting him tonight doesn't count," Justin argued.

"I didn't just meet him tonight. I—I met him over the summer. The house I stayed in was his."

"So when you told me that you were going away for the summer and couldn't receive any letters, you were at _Sirius Black's_ house?" Justin asked. "When you told me you were spending time with the Weasleys because of the Order, it was at _his house_?"

Scarlett nodded.

"Why? And why couldn't you receive letters? You didn't give me much information about what you did over the summer and I know I didn't ask, but-,"

"I can't tell you a lot. It all had to do with the Order and it was all very secret. I wasn't supposed to share anything with anyone. Technically, I shouldn't really have mentioned the Order to you at all. I definitely can't tell you _where _the headquarters are exactly or what went on at meetings…not that I know much anyway. And as for letters, sending them was too dangerous."

Justin sighed. "You know you can trust me, don't you?"

Scarlett nodded. "I know. I do trust you. But there's only so much I can tell you. I made promises to my mother and the other Order members."

Justin swallowed and nodded. Finally, he looked up at her again. "Are you free to leave?"

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah."

"Come on." Justin stood up and held out his hand. "Let's go back to the common room. You probably want to sleep."

Scarlett nodded again. "You have no idea." She stood up and took Justin's hand before looking back at the four people sitting on the next bed. "I'll see you later."

She, Justin and Erica walked out of the room in silence. Just outside the door, Scarlett stopped short.

"What is it?" Justin asked.

"I just thought…Dumbledore sent Harry back to his office to wait for him…and then you said you ran into Dumbledore. If he sent Harry back here and then he actually _came_ back…and if Umbridge is in the hospital wing and not returning to teaching….That means that Dumbledore must be headmaster again!"

Justin and Erica stared at her. "Umbridge was in the hospital wing? She's not returning to teaching?" Erica asked.

Scarlett nodded. "She was carried off by centaurs. I don't know how she escaped, but from what Madame Pomfrey said, she went a little loopy. Anyway, it must mean Dumbledore's back for good and I can ask him to look at my grades to see if Umbridge changed them!" She dropped Justin's hand and ran off towards Dumbledore's office.

"You're going there now?" Erica called as she and Justin ran after Scarlett.

"I'm getting this settled once and for all," Scarlett yelled over her shoulder.

By the time she reached Dumbledore's office, she was out of breath. It was only when she saw the two gargoyles in front of the office that she realized she still didn't know the password. At least all of Umbridge's security systems, whatever they had been, were gone.

Just as she was actually considering blasting the gargoyles aside, the door opened, and Dumbledore stepped out, Harry beside him.

"Ah, hello, Miss Callaway," Dumbledore said. "I see Madame Pomfrey has deemed you fit to leave the hospital wing."

Scarlett nodded. "Professor, I was wondering if I could have a word with you. It's urgent."

Dumbledore looked over his half-moon glasses and down his nose at her, smiling slightly as if he knew exactly what was on Scarlett's mind. Although, Scarlett wouldn't be surprised if he somehow did know.

"Of course," Dumbledore answered. He turned to Harry. "I think it's best that you try and get some sleep."

"Yes, sir," Harry muttered. He looked at Scarlett. "I never got to thank you. You know, for what you did."

"Don't mention it. I like Sirius," Scarlett answered. "I didn't even have to think about saving him."

Harry smiled. "Well, thanks," he said before turning and walking down the hallway.

"Now, Miss Callaway, after you." Dumbledore turned and held the office door open for her.

"I'll be back in a minute," Scarlett said to Justin and Erica. "You don't have to wait."

"We'll wait," Justin said automatically. "We want to."

Scarlett nodded before walking through the door. There was a spiral staircase behind it. Scarlett stepped onto the first step and it began to move upwards. Dumbledore took the step a few behind Scarlett and they rode up in silence. At the top, Dumbledore held open another door and Scarlett stepped through it into the office. She had never been in here before and it almost felt overwhelming at first. There were multiple objects perched on tables, some of which were moving and making whirring sounds. The top half of the walls that were not covered with windows were covered with portraits of past headmasters. The bottom half of the wall was lined with bookshelves.

"Have a seat, Miss Callaway," Dumbledore said calmly as he situated himself behind his desk.

Scarlett took a seat across from him and looked down at her hands before looking back up into the headmaster's twinkling blue eyes. "I don't know if you've heard, yet—I actually doubt it seeing as you just got back, but—well, Umbridge told me not too long ago that I wasn't passing her class and that I couldn't be a Healer without a passing grade. I just—I don't think that's possible."

"No?" Dumbledore asked, looking amused.

"No," Scarlett answered. "I know how hard I've worked and I know I'm not the only one who thinks something's going on." She took a breath. "I came to you because Hermione said the headmaster is the only one who can access the records."

"Miss Granger is correct," Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair and pressing the tips of his fingers together.

"Well, I wanted to know if you can look at my files and see—well, see if they're correct," Scarlett finished.

"You believe that Professor Umbridge changed your Defense Against the Dark Arts grade," Dumbledore said. It was a statement, not a question and his expression was unreadable. Scarlett couldn't tell if he thought she was crazy or not.

"Er, yes," she said. "I'm not trying to _blame_ her, but-,"

"I think," Dumbledore said with a slight smile, "that those who have done something wrong should be blamed for it. I believe the correct expression would be…hmm, oh yes…if the shoe fits. Do you agree?"

"Well, yes," Scarlett said, nodding, "I do."

Dumbledore smiled a bit wider. "Follow me, Miss Callaway." He stood up and led her to the far side of the office. He pulled back one of the books on the shelf and at once, the shelf spun halfway to reveal a hidden room. The room looked quite ordinary. It wasn't very big and it was lined with more bookshelves, but these shelves were empty except for one stack of parchment.

"This is where all of the student files are kept," Dumbledore said, grinning and gesturing around the small room.

"But there's only one," Scarlett said, confused.

"Ah, yes, the room only provides the files needed at the time. Imagine keeping every file on a shelf or in a room without the aid of magic? I'm afraid we'd need a bigger room"

"But you said they're all kept in here. Where are they if I can't see them? Are they invisible?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Those are very good questions, but I'm afraid they can only be answered if you become headmistress of Hogwarts, Miss Callaway. A very fine title, but I think a Healer suits you more, yes?"

Scarlett couldn't help but smile as she nodded.

Dumbledore paused before stepping forward and grabbing the single file off of the shelf. "Now, I believe this is yours."

Scarlett followed him back to his desk and they both resumed their seats as Dumbledore flicked through Scarlett's file.

"What does it say?" she asked curiously, leaning forward in her seat.

"Ah, yes, it does say you are failing Professor Umbridge's class. And it says you failed your NEWT as well."

"I just took it today. Umbridge must have made a point to get my grade and change it," Scarlett muttered. "Assuming she would do such a thing, of course," she added quickly, glancing at Dumbledore.

"Again," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling, "I must say, if the shoe fits."

Scarlett nodded. "Professor Sprout said there was a way to figure out of Umbridge changed the grade."

"Indeed there is," Dumbledore said. He picked up his wand and waved it over Scarlett's file. He smiled. "Would you look at that?"

"What?" Scarlett asked.

"You're passing with flying colors and your NEWT score was very good."

"Really?" Scarlett tried her best to not squeal with joy.

"Really." Dumbledore was grinning over his half-moon spectacles again.

"So I can be a Healer now?"

"I don't think there was ever any reason to believe you couldn't, but yes, with these grades, you are set to become a Healer."

Scarlett grinned and stood up. "Thank you so much, sir."

"You are very welcome. I'm sure your friends will be very happy. I suggest you don't keep them waiting too much longer," Dumbledore said, chuckling.

Scarlett nodded and turned to go, but paused with her hand on the doorknob. "Professor?"

"Yes?"

"What'll happen to Umbridge for changing my grade? It isn't legal, is it?"

"Well," Dumbledore sighed, "with her connections, her personality, and the way things are right now, I'm afraid she'll worm her way out of any severe punishments. I know it's not very fair, but just keep in mind what happened to her tonight and also the fact that she is now terrified of the sound of galloping hooves, which might prove to be an inconvenience."

"How?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "I have no idea in the slightest, but I'm just taking a guess."

"One more thing," Scarlett said slowly. "Why does she hate me so much? I mean, she gave me longer detentions than anyone else and she locked me in a classroom overnight."

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore said. He pressed his fingertips together and stared at Scarlett for a moment. "I think it would be best if you asked your mother that question. She might be able to give you a better explanation."

"My mother?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. Now, off you go. I'm sure you would like a good night's rest as well."

Scarlett nodded and left the office, hurrying back down to where Justin and Erica were waiting.

"So, what happened?" Erica asked anxiously.

"Everything's fine. Umbridge did change my grade, but Dumbledore changed them back and he said I can be a Healer without any problems!" Scarlett replied, the words tumbling out in a rush. She ran forward and threw her arms around Justin, who hugged her back tightly.

"That's great. I'm so proud of you," he whispered.

"I knew it would work out!" Erica squealed, hugging Scarlett as well.

"But you still don't know why Umbridge tried to purposely fail you, do you?" Justin asked as they walked back to their common room.

"Dumbledore said to talk to my mother," Scarlett said slowly, lacing her fingers through Justin's, "but I don't understand how that would get me answers."

"Do you think your mother knew Umbridge?" Erica asked.

"She never said anything, but then again, I never mentioned Umbridge to her."

"You never mentioned your punishments?" Justin asked.

Scarlett shook her head. "No, nothing. I didn't want her to worry. I thought she would find out through someone else, but she never said anything. She never mentioned Umbridge at all."

"Odd," Justin said. "I mean, word travels back to parents about the teachers. Not always to Muggle parents like mine—I always have to tell them any information—but usually parents in the wizarding world hear things through other people."

"He's right," Erica chimed in. "Your mother had to have heard from _somebody_ that Umbridge was teaching here. Maybe she doesn't know what the toad was doing, but she probably knows she was here."

Scarlett frowned. "Definitely fishy. I'll have to make sure to talk to her when I get home."

Finally, they reached the Hufflepuff common room and Scarlett couldn't have been more excited to see the cozy room. She wanted nothing more than to go to bed.

"Goodnight," she said, rubbing her eyes and stifling a yawn.

Justin leaned in and gently kissed her cheek. "See you tomorrow?"

Scarlett nodded. "Of course." She gave Erica one last hug before turning to head up to her dorm.

"Scar?" Justin called after her.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning around.

"I love you."

Scarlett's stomach clenched. She loved hearing him say that, but at the same time she wished he wouldn't. All she could manage right then was a quick nod before she quickly made her way back to her dorm, where she fell asleep within seconds.

* * *

**A/N: Scarlett can be a Healer now, yay! In the next few chapters Fred should be coming back into the story, Scarlett will find out why exactly Umbridge hates her, and Fred and Scarlett will start getting even closer, which I'm so excited about. **

**Thanks for all the feedback! You guys are all amazing! :)**


	32. Chapter 32

"_I never look back, darling, it distracts from the now."_

**-Edna Mode (The Incredibles)**

* * *

"It's weird leaving this place for good," Scarlett sighed. She was standing on the front lawn of Hogwarts with Erica, looking up at the school. "I'll miss it."

"Yeah, me too," Erica agreed with a sigh. "We've had lots of memories here." After a moment, she spoke again. "Come on. Let's get down to the carriages."

Scarlett nodded and turned to follow her best friend. "Justin said he'd meet us on the train."

Erica nodded. "The other night would have been the perfect time to tell him the truth, you know."

Scarlett sighed and climbed into a carriage. "I know. I think I'm going to tell him this summer."

"You just think? _I_ think you should know for sure by now," Erica said, climbing into the carriage as well. "And when this summer? If you wait until the very end, it's another two and a half months."

"I know. And I'm _planning_ on telling him as soon as I can, but I'm thinking this summer's going to have to be it." She rested her chin in her hands as the carriage moved forward.

"He's going to be heartbroken," Erica said, her tone sympathetic.

"I know," Scarlett groaned. "And don't you think I'm heartbroken, too?"

"Are you more heartbroken or relieved that once you tell him, you don't have to stress over it anymore?" Erica asked.

"What kind of question is that?"

"A legitimate one," Erica answered calmly.

Scarlett sighed. "I am relieved that I'll finally be getting everything out in the open, but I'm not _happy_ about any of it. Trust me."

"I know," Erica said. "I really am sorry that you have to go through this. I know I put a lot of pressure on you before to tell Justin the truth, but I do understand that it can't be easy."

"It's not," Scarlett sighed. "I can't even believe I waited this long to tell him in the first place. I'm a terrible person."

"You're not," Erica said as their carriage slowed to a stop. "You're just very conflicted."

"I'll say," Scarlett sighed.

The two girls climbed out and began lugging their things onto the train. "Are you planning on seeing Fred this summer?" Erica continued a few minutes later, pushing her trunk onto an overhead rack as Scarlett did the same.

"Probably," Scarlett nodded. "I want to tell him the news about being able to become a Healer. He'll want to know. Besides, I really want to see the shop."

"So do I," Erica said, sighing, sitting down and setting her sketchbook on her lap. She began working on a recent design while Scarlett sat down across from her.

"I wonder what it's like," Scarlett continued thoughtfully, her mind still on the shop as she tucked her feet under her and sat crossed legged.

"You wonder what what's like?" Justin asked, appearing at the doorway and grinning.

"Fred and George's shop," Erica said.

"Yeah, I'm curious about it as well, actually," Justin said, dragging his trunk inside and setting it on the overhead rack next to Scarlett's.

"You are?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah," Justin nodded. "I've been hearing they're doing really well. Based on how many people at school used the owl-order business, they're quite popular. As always," he sighed.

Scarlett looked out the window in silence as her stomach churned nervously. Of course, out of all the people she had to end up marrying, it had to be the one guy that Justin felt threatened by.

"What's wrong?" Justin asked, reaching over and gently turning her face towards him.

"Nothing," she said quickly, flashing him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," she answered. "I'm just feeling a little weird about leaving Hogwarts for good." It was partly the truth. Leaving Hogwarts was odd and kind of sad, but that was the least of what Scarlett was truly worried about.

"When do you start Healer training?" Erica asked.

"I have to go over to St. Mungo's within the next week and give them all of my paperwork. If they want to hire me, they'll be in touch. Then I'll be in training and I'll shadow a more experienced Healer for a while until I'm ready to work on my own."

"That's exciting. They'd be mental not to hire you," Erica said confidently.

"Exactly. I'll bet they'll hire you on the spot," Justin said, grinning and kissing Scarlett's cheek.

"Oh, please," Scarlett blushed.

"We're serious!" Justin laughed.

Scarlett smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You have nothing to worry about," Justin whispered as he rubbed his thumb over her upper arm. "You'll be a wonderful Healer."

Scarlett felt tears come to her eyes and she did her best to hide them. She was thankful that Justin couldn't see her face. She didn't need him inquiring about why she was crying.

Suddenly, the compartment door slid open and Ginny walked in with Dean, the boy she had been dating recently.

"What are you doing here?" Scarlett asked in surprise, raising her head from Justin's shoulder and quickly blinking back her tears.

"What, I can't sit with a friend?" Ginny asked as she and Dean took their seats next to Erica.

Scarlett smiled. "You know Erica and Justin, don't you?" she asked.

Ginny nodded. "I do," she said, glancing at Erica and the two shared a smirk. Scarlett knew they hadn't forgotten the fact that they both agreed on how Scarlett should be handling her love life.

"So, how are you doing?" Scarlett asked Ginny.

"Great," she answered with a grin. "What about you?"

"Alright," Scarlett shrugged.

"She talked to Dumbledore about that toad changing her grade and he fixed it, so she's all set to become a Healer now," Erica said excitedly.

Ginny beamed. "That's great!"

"Congratulations," Dean chimed in.

"Thanks," Scarlett blushed.

"So," Dean said, "what are everyone's plans for the summer?"

"I'll most likely be busy. That is, if St. Mungo's decides to let me train and work there," Scarlett said.

"They will," Justin insisted. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

Scarlett shook her head and kissed his cheek. "You're sweet, but we won't know until probably next week sometime."

"I'm going to be looking for my own place," Erica said. She looked at Scarlett and smiled. "Actually, Scarlett and I were going to look at flats together."

"Thinking of being flat mates?" Ginny asked.

Scarlett nodded. "Oh, and by the way, we were just talking about how excited we were to go see Fred and George's shop."

"Oh, me too!" Ginny grinned. "Although I doubt I'll be able to go until right before school starts again and we have to go to Diagon Alley for school supplies. See, Percy and Charlie aren't around, Bill, Mum and dad are really busy—Fred and George as well, obviously—and Ron and I can't Apparate yet. So no one's available to bring me and I can't get there on my own. I don't know if Mum will let me use Floo powder either because she only likes to use it when it's absolutely necessary. It's expensive to buy more, so…." She trailed off and shrugged.

"Ginny, I get it, remember?" Scarlett said. She smiled and played with the locket that Justin had given her for her birthday. She had filled it with a picture of the two of them together as well as a picture of her and Erica.

"Yeah, I know," Ginny said quietly, with a small smile.

"I can take you if you want," Scarlett continued. "Just write me whenever you want to go. Or I'll write you." She shrugged. "We'll keep in touch."

"Really?" Ginny's face lit up.

"Yeah of course." Scarlett looked at Erica and Justin "You're welcome to come, too, of course."

"I don't know," Justin said quietly.

"I thought you wanted to go," Scarlett said, confused.

"Yeah, but…never mind." Justin looked past her out of the window.

Suddenly, it clicked. Justin felt out of place around Ginny. He didn't feel he was close enough to her to be considered her friend. Besides, she was Fred's sister and Justin had his inferiority issues with Fred. Of course it would feel odd to him if Ginny was with them in Diagon Alley.

"What if we spend a day this summer in Diagon Alley just me and you?" Scarlett whispered in his ear.

He smiled. "That would be great."

Scarlett fought the urge to sigh, wondering if that day in Diagon Alley would even happen.

"Hey, what's that?" Ginny asked, leaning over to peer at Erica's sketch.

"Oh, it's nothing," Erica said, moving her arm to cover the drawing.

"No, it's incredible," Ginny said, gently moving Erica's hand away. "You designed that?"

Erica nodded. "I want to design clothes."

"Well, you have your first buyer right here," Ginny said. "If you ever make that shirt, let me know. I want it."

Erica and Scarlett laughed. "Deal," Erica said.

"When you actually start selling things, do I get discounts?" Ginny smirked. "Since I know you and all?"

"Yes, everyone I simply _know_ gets a discount," Erica laughed. "But I might consider it since you are my first potential customer."

"I thought _I_ was your first potential customer," Scarlett gasped. "I love the stuff you design."

"Ooh, that's true," Erica said. She tapped her chin. "I don't know," she smirked. "This is a tough one."

"Who says you have to pick?" Justin asked. "Just give them both a discount." He and Dean shared an eye roll.

"They just don't want to hear anything else that has to do with clothes or shopping," Ginny sniffed.

"Boys," Scarlett said, smirking at Justin.

"Girls," he replied, rolling his eyes.

Scarlett giggled and shook her head as he leaned in to kiss her. When he did, her stomach lurched nervously again and she really wished it wouldn't.

* * *

Right from the beginning, Scarlett found her summer to be incredibly busy, just as she knew it would be. Within the first few days, she delivered her paperwork to St. Mungo's and planned a day during the following week to go flat hunting with Erica. It wasn't until the end of her first week home that she even remembered to talk to her mother about Umbridge.

"Mum?" Scarlett asked, appearing in her mother's bedroom doorway and knocking on the doorframe. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure, honey." Her mother pulled off her reading glasses and placed them on her blanket covered lap. Then, she patted the empty space next to her on the bed.

Scarlett crossed the room and crawled in beside her mother. "What are you up to?" she asked.

"Work," her mother sighed, gesturing to the papers at the end of the bed.

"Order work, or actual work?"

"Actual work."

Scarlett's mother had worked for the Daily Prophet since she had left Hogwarts. She hadn't been enjoying it as much lately, but she had worked hard to get to where she was, and quitting wasn't really an option now, being a single income family. Although, with a little luck, Scarlett would be soon living on her own with her own job and financially, she and her mother would only have to take care of themselves.

"Looks fun," Scarlett giggled.

"Hardly. Thankfully, they haven't asked me to write any rubbish articles calling Harry or Dumbledore liars. If they did, I'm afraid I'd have to refuse. I just wouldn't feel right writing those kinds of things."

"Would they fire you if you refused?"

Her mother shrugged. "Possibly."

"Is it even worth it, then?"

"Oh, honey, of course it is," her mother replied, brushing a strand of hair off of Scarlett's face. "Now, let's talk about you! I feel as if I haven't seen you all week! What's been going on?"

"I dropped my papers off at St. Mungo's the day after I got home, so I should be hearing from them next week. I'm also going flat hunting next week with Erica."

"That'll be fun. Although," her mother smirked, "I am a bit sad you're leaving me."

"Oh, please, I know you're excited to throw crazy parties every week once I'm gone," Scarlett laughed.

"How did you ever guess?"

Scarlett smiled, but after a moment, it faded. "Mum?"

"Yes?"

"The reason I came in here….Well, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

Scarlett looked down at her hands, then back up at her mother, unsure of how to phrase what she wanted to ask. "Were you at all aware of who was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts this year?" she finally asked.

Her mother sighed. "Dolores Umbridge, yes, I heard. Why are you asking?"

"Well," Scarlett began slowly, "she wasn't exactly all that nice to me. She wasn't all that nice to _anyone_, actually, but especially to me. When I asked Dumbledore about it, he said to talk to you."

"What do you mean she wasn't all that nice to you? What did she do?"

"Do you know something?" Scarlett asked.

"Scarlett, tell me what happened," her mother ordered. "Did she hurt you?"

Scarlett paused. "Not _really_. She just…she had some crazy punishment methods. Whenever somebody—anybody—got a detention, she made them write lines with a quill that wrote with their own blood." She held up her hand and showed her mother the scars. "The only thing was that at my first detention, she kept me double the amount of time that she kept everyone else. She kept me for eight hours as opposed to four."

"Oh, honey," her mother gasped, taking Scarlett's hand in hers and examining the scars. "I can't believe I never noticed this before."

"You didn't notice because I didn't want you to notice."

"Why? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want you to worry. Besides, I found out pretty early on that Umbridge was treating me differently and I wanted to figure out why on my own."

"What else did she do?"

"She locked me in a classroom overnight once, and she purposely tried to fail me. She changed my Defense Against the Dark Arts grade so I wouldn't be able to become a Healer. I tried sneaking into her office to find my files—that's why I was already with Ginny and the others before we went to the Ministry. They were in her office as well, but for other reasons."

"I don't believe this!" her mother exclaimed. "That woman—she can't get away with this! I'm going to-,"

"No, you're not going to do anything," Scarlett said firmly, grabbing her mother's wrist. "I dealt with it. Dumbledore knows the truth and my grades are fine. Umbridge isn't at Hogwarts anymore and neither am I. I won't have to deal with her again."

"She's not gone for good," her mother sighed.

"Mum," Scarlett said, "please tell me whatever it is that you know about her."

"Dolores and I," she began slowly, "went to school together. She was a seventh year when I was a fourth year. We weren't even in the same house, but she always tried to boss younger kids around. She acted like she knew everything—very superior, too, even though she wasn't. She particularly hated me because I came back to school that year dating your father. As you know, he was a Muggle boy from the next neighborhood. He didn't know at the time that I was a witch. He thought my sister and I—your Aunt Emily—went to boarding school."

"So why did Umbridge hate you for that? Was she a lonesome cat woman even back then?"

Her mother laughed softly. "She _did_ have quite a liking for cats. And the color pink. Anyway, word somehow reached her that I was dating a Muggle boy and she hated it. She was very opinionated and bossy and she always stuck her nose in business that wasn't hers. She told me that dating your father would _tarnish_ me. As in I was dirty for dating a Muggle."

"That's not true," Scarlett whispered. "You know that, don't you?"

"I do," her mother said softly, smiling and running a hand through Scarlett's hair. "Well, anyway, I think Dolores thought that if word got out, nobody would speak to me anymore. She thought she could bring me down that way.

"She was jealous, wasn't she?" Scarlett asked.

Her mother shrugged. "I don't know what her problem was."

"She was probably jealous that you had friends and she didn't," Scarlett smirked.

"She had friends. She had decent grades as well, but I'm sorry to say that she did always look like a toad."

Scarlett giggled. "So, what did she do?"

"She spread around the school that I was dating a Muggle and should be treated like something gross or diseased. She also started going out of her way to make my life miserable. But, actually, things didn't work out as she'd hoped. Instead of turning against me, people stood up for me and turned against _her_. Now it was her life that was becoming miserable and she's hated me ever since. I never thought she'd take it out on you, though, which is why I never said anything. It's why I never mentioned her or warned you. I didn't even know if she'd recognize you. She knew me by my maiden name, and as far as I know, she never knew your father's last name. And I also always thought you looked more like him."

"Yeah, but on the other hand, lots of people say I look like you," Scarlett said. "I mean, I look enough like you where people can make the connection, especially if they knew you when you were younger, which Umbridge did."

"That's true."

"She must have really hated you," Scarlett said, leaning sideways against the bed's headboard. "Although, she hasn't changed much either. I mean, she hates anything that's not a hundred percent one thing or the other. We all know she hates half breeds and it looks like she hates half-blood people as well. And of course their parents, because they're…what was it you said? Tarnished?" She rolled her eyes before sighing. "Although, she really went after me not only because of that but because of a grudge she held onto for years. It's ridiculous, really. I mean, she couldn't just _let it go_?"

"I guess not," her mother sighed. "It sounds a bit unhealthy really, that she focused so much on the past."

"Things would have been so much easier if she had just moved on. I mean, nothing that happened was really anybody's fault. If anything, she brought it on herself."

"Honey, listen to me," her mother said. "Don't spend too much time stressing over her. You were right. Dumbledore knows the truth about her and you don't have to see her anymore. She can no longer bother you. You dealt with her on your own, and I'm so proud of you, really."

"You said she won't be gone for good," Scarlett argued.

"From the Ministry, no, but I don't think she'll be attacking you personally from now on. It'll be okay. And for the record, you aren't dirty, or tarnished, or whatever other negative things she thinks you are."

Scarlett smiled. "Thanks. Neither are you." She allowed her mother to kiss her forehead before she made her way out of the bed and towards the door. "I'm going to write to Ginny. I promised I'd take her to visit Fred and George's shop and I'm planning on going next weekend, so I'd better invite her now so we can see it for the first time together. I don't think she'd like it too much if I saw it before her."

"That's a good idea. I'm glad to see you're keeping in touch with Fred."

"Yeah, well, he's still with Angelina and I'm still with Justin. I feel terribly for not coming forward about everything to Justin after all this time, but I'm planning on telling him within the next few weeks."

"Before I even got the chance to meet him?" Her mother tried to hide her teasing smile, but she was unsuccessful.

Scarlett smiled. "As much as I want you to meet him, I get the feeling that bringing him home to meet my mother will only make him think our relationship is more serious than it's allowed to get."

"I agree. Well, we'll just have to have Fred over for dinner so that I can at least have somewhat of a bonding experience with my daughter's Prince Charming."

"Mum!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, is that not accurate?" Her mother grinned somewhat cheekily at her.

"He's not my _Prince Charming_. Merlin, it's like you think we're in one of those fairy tales."

"Well, you never know. He very well could be," her mother said lightly, slipping her reading glasses back on.

"Mother!"

"Oh, just hush and go write to Ginny."

* * *

**A/N: Umbridge just seems to get more and more annoying with every chapter, doesn't she? Anyway, Fred will be back next chapter! And George too, of course :)**

**Anyway, thanks for all the feedback and I hope everyone enjoys the chapter.**


	33. Chapter 33

"_Hakuna Matata, it means no worries for the rest of your days."_

**-Timon and Pumbaa (The Lion King)**

* * *

"So how are things with Dean?" Scarlett asked Ginny. It was a week later and the two girls were sitting across from each other in the Leaky Cauldron, having made plans to get lunch before heading over to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Fine," Ginny answered. "Great, actually. I like him a lot."

"Good," Scarlett grinned. "I'm glad you're happy."

Ginny smiled. "How's Justin?"

Scarlett's smile faded slightly. "I haven't really spoken to him much. We've been writing and he knows I've been busy, but I also might be pulling away slightly because I know a break up is coming."

"I'm guessing you told him the news, though? That St. Mungo's got back to you and as of Monday morning, you'll officially be a Healer in training?"

Scarlett smiled. "I sent a letter to both him and Erica as soon as I found out. I also told him that Erica and I found a flat and we're supposed to move in on Sunday—two days from now. So, I mean, I really have been busy and I have been keeping him updated, but I just haven't actually seen him."

"Do you want to see him?"

"Yes and no. Like I said, I'm kind of pulling away because I know what I have to do and it's making me so nervous. Obviously I like being around him, but the next time I see him will most likely be the day I break up with him."

Ginny smiled comfortingly. "It'll be okay. Just think that you'll be able to focus on Fred more!"

"Ginny, not this again!" Scarlett groaned as they finished their food and headed for the door.

"Yes, this again. I really think you and Fred could fall in love if you tried. Or even if you didn't try. I would feel so much better after you two get married knowing that my sister-in-law and my brother love each other. It would be so much easier."

"Trust me, I know," Scarlett sighed. Suddenly, the shop they were looking for came into view and even seeing it from halfway down the road caused the two girls to stop short.

"Oh my," Ginny said with a laugh.

"It's so…bright," Scarlett managed to breathe out.

"Yeah, compared to what this rest of this area is turning into, it's great," Ginny said, glancing at Ollivander's and Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor, both of which had been boarded up recently, their owners gone missing.

Scarlett shivered slightly. Diagon Alley was starting to look creepier and creepier with every passing day and it was most definitely going to get worse before it got any better. "Come on," she said, leading the way towards the end of the alley—more specifically, number ninety-three.

"I'm sure Fred and George will be surprised," Ginny said. "They don't know we're coming."

Scarlett smiled. "Good thing they like surprises, then."

The two girls stopped at the front of the shop and gazed at the display windows in shock and awe.

"Why are you worrying about You-Know-Who," Ginny read off of a brightly glowing purple and yellow sign, "when you should be worrying about You-No-Poo—the constipation sensation that's gripping the nation."

Scarlett took a deep breath and shook her head, her eyes wide. "I think I need a moment to even process this."

"Don't tell me you're surprised," Ginny smirked. "Honestly, did you really expect anything less?"

"No, but just finally seeing it….I always knew it would be something like this, but…." She trailed off again and laughed, stepping forward to press her face to the glass. "It's real," she whispered. "They really did it. And look at how crowded it is inside!"

Ginny smiled and walked forward, pulling open the door. "Let's add to the commotion, shall we?"

Scarlett grinned back and walked inside, taking in the numerous shelves and displays. She let out a low whistle. "Wow."

"It's great," Ginny sighed. "Come on." She eagerly grabbed Scarlett's arm and pulled her around the brightly colored, noisy, and crowded shop.

"Look, they really do sell Muggle prank items!" Ginny said excitedly, pointing to a section of shelving. "Just like the stuff Fred gave you for Christmas!"

Scarlett smiled, running her hand over the Muggle playing cards, displayed on one of the shelves.

"Hey, think fast," Ginny said. She tossed a rubber snake at Scarlett, causing her to squeal, flail her arms and step back into a display, which wobbled dangerously for a second before becoming still.

"Oi, careful of the displays! You break it, you buy it!" a voice yelled from behind her.

Scarlett turned to see Fred marching towards her, wearing magenta robes that clashed terribly with his hair. When he recognized her, he stopped short and stared at her, looking surprised, but glad to see her.

"Hi, Fred," she said, feeling suddenly nervous standing in front of him again.

"Scar, hi!" Fred's face cracked into a grin. "You're really here! You came to see me!"

"Not _you_, Fred, the shop. Obviously," Scarlett teased.

"Shut up," Fred muttered, lightly pushing her shoulder. Scarlett lightly shoved him back.

Ginny cleared her throat. "Sibling neglect over here!"

"Ginny!" Fred exclaimed. He grabbed her in a tight hug. "George and I weren't expecting family to come visit until just before school started."

"Scarlett offered to take me."

"You didn't force her?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No!"

"She didn't force you?" Fred leaned towards Scarlett and lowered his voice.

"I didn't!" Ginny insisted, still picking up on what Fred said.

"She didn't," Scarlett said, shaking her head.

Ginny stuck her tongue out at Fred. He mirrored the gesture before ruffling her hair.

"Anyway, Ron's jealous," Ginny said, smirking. "He's been begging to come see the shop since school got out."

"Ah, well, it looks as if ickle Ronniekins is going to have to wait," Fred shrugged. "Would you girls like a tour?"

"That would be great," Scarlett said.

Fred led the two girls around practically the entire shop, giving them an amazing tour considering how noisy and crowded it was.

"There's one last thing I want you to see," he told Scarlett, grinning.

"What is it?" she asked, glancing at Ginny, who was inching further and further away down the shelves and smirking.

"Come on." Fred grabbed Scarlett's arm and pulled her towards the middle of the shop, to a large display she hadn't seen yet. "Look familiar?" he asked.

"The fortune cookie you sent me for my birthday!"

"I told you it was our newest product."

"I know, but…you're actually selling them!"

"Yeah, that's typically what products are for," Fred said with a laugh. "Anyway, as I'm sure you've guessed, the fortunes inside are meant to be funny. George and I came up with a bunch to make the cookies we're selling now and whenever we think of a new fortune, we'll add it so there's less of a chance of repetition."

"Genius," Scarlett whispered.

"Now, I can't take _all_ the credit," Fred said modestly.

"No?" Scarlett raised an eyebrow curiously as she tried to fight back a smirk.

"No, you see, Chinese restaurants began distributing these before George and I did."

"Jerk!" Scarlett cried, giving him another small shove. Fred laughed and they smiled at each other before Scarlett spoke again. "I have news for you."

"Yeah?"

She nodded. "As you must know, Dumbledore's headmaster at Hogwarts again. The second he came back, I went to talk to him. He checked my file and discovered that Umbridge did change my grade after all."

"That toad!" Fred exclaimed. "So what happened? Did Dumbledore fix it?"

Scarlett nodded, biting her lip to contain her happiness. "I delivered my paperwork to St. Mungo's early last week. Two days ago, they sent me a letter. They want to hire me! I start training on Monday!"

Fred's mouth dropped open and he blinked at her.

"Close your mouth, Fred. One might think this has come as a shock," Scarlett said, imitating Umbridge.

"Really?" Fred asked, ignoring Scarlett's latest statement. "You did it? You're in training?"

"Starting Monday," Scarlett grinned.

Fred let out a whoop and hugged her, spinning her around. "Congratulations! You did it! I knew you would! I just _knew_ you would!"

Scarlett giggled as he set her down. "Thanks," she said.

"Oh, is this Angelina?" a pleasant voice asked from behind them.

Scarlett quickly turned to see a woman with shoulder length blonde hair and green eyes standing there wearing a smile and the same magenta robes as Fred.

"No, I'm—well, I'm just-," Scarlett awkwardly stuttered out as her face turned red.

"This is Scarlett," Fred said. "Scarlett, this is Verity. She's our assistant." He leaned in and whispered against Scarlett's ear, "The position could have been yours if you hadn't passed it up."

Scarlett smiled and looked up at him. "I couldn't put Verity out of a job, could I?" she whispered. She turned back to Verity. "Nice to meet you," she said.

"Oh, so, you're Scarlett. The one who gave Fred the fortune cookie inspiration. Sorry for mistaking you for Angelina. It's just that I haven't met her yet and I've been anxious to meet the girl who actually likes this guy romantically." Verity wrinkled her nose before smiling to show she was teasing.

"Yeah, well, I must being doing _something_ right," Fred shrugged, smiling.

"Or completely wrong and Angelina's delusional," Scarlett added.

"Yeah, let's go with that one," Verity said, giggling. "Anyway, it was nice meeting you, Scarlett. I'd better get back to work before the line at the register gets _too_ long."

"I'm guessing you didn't tell her about the vow?" Scarlett whispered as Verity walked away.

"No. I have no reason to tell her. She'll find out eventually, though. Your name just came up in conversation when we were creating the fortune cookies."

"And Angelina hasn't been here yet?" Scarlett asked in surprise, running her hand along the shelf next to her almost awkwardly.

"No," Fred said. "She did only just get out of school a few weeks ago, same as you."

"Yeah, but I thought she'd come here the second she could."

"I don't think she's had a moment yet. That's all. She's been trying to set up tryouts for certain Quidditch teams. I told you how she wanted to play professionally. Anyway, we've been writing and I told her that one of these days we'd go out to dinner and I'd bring her back here after."

"But the shop will be closed already."

"Exactly. I can't spend adequate time with my girlfriend when I'm so busy."

"You're spending time with me right now. Or are you planning on getting rid of me soon so you can get back to work?"

"Of course not," Fred grinned. He shrugged and glanced around. "And we're not too busy."

"Not too busy?" Scarlett repeated in disbelief.

"We've been busier, believe it or not."

"Oddly enough, I can believe it. How do you even do it?" Scarlett laughed.

"George and I love it, actually," Fred said as he and Scarlett walked towards the back of the shop. "We love when it's really busy the most because it really lets us know that people like it here and that it was worth everything that went into opening this place."

"What's not to like about it?" Scarlett asked. "Everything is so…_you_. And so unbelievably perfect."

"Why, thank you," Fred said. He bowed dramatically and picked up her hand, making sure it was the unscarred one, before giving it a kiss.

Scarlett turned a light shade of pink, but she did her best to hide it. "Seriously, this place is great. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks. I'm glad you like it. Actually, I want you to come back another day after we close so I can show you something."

"What might that be?" Scarlett asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll see when I show it to you," Fred grinned. "Promise we'll keep in touch and plan a day for you to come back?"

"Of course. I'm curious now," Scarlett replied.

"As you should be."

Scarlett giggled. "So, how is it living on your own?"

Fred shrugged. "It's great, but at the same time, an adjustment. I mean, George and I have to actually do our own laundry for once."

"Oh, no," Scarlett groaned dramatically. "Don't tell me you have to cook your own meals, too!"

"You're quite mean when you want to be, aren't you?" Fred smirked as Scarlett laughed.

"Well, I was only asking how you liked having your own place because Erica and I are moving into our own flat on Sunday. But if the worst thing about being on your own is cooking and laundry, then I think we're all set. See, _we_ know how to do those things."

"You're asking for it." Fred tried to hold back his laughter as he punched his fist into his hand.

"You'd beat up a girl?" Scarlett asked sweetly.

Fred smirked. "If you buy some merchandise and help me earn more money, maybe I'll let you off easy."

"If you're letting money go to your head like that, I'd rather you beat me up," Scarlett retaliated. "I don't want to marry a miser."

"Well, if you're so _smart_ about living on your own, maybe you'll just have to give me and George a few lessons."

"Watch your attitude or I won't do anything for you at all and you'll be cooking and cleaning on your own forever."

"Not forever. Only until we get married. Then you'll do it for me."

"Oh, so now you're a sexist miser."

"No, just sex_y_," he teased, emphasizing the 'y' sound.

"That's cute that you think so. But that did just remind me that you're also bigheaded. You're a bigheaded, sexist miser." Scarlett tried her best not to laugh.

"And you're mean."

"That's all you've got?" Scarlett teased.

"I'm not going to stand here and argue with you," Fred said. "I'm going to be the bigger person."

"The bigger _headed_ person, you mean."

"You're pretty good at this whole dishing out insults thing, aren't you?" Fred asked.

"I try," she said, "but it's all in good fun, as I'm sure you know."

"Lucky for you, I do," Fred smirked. He pulled aside the curtain they were standing next to and gestured for Scarlett to go inside first

Scarlett stepped inside the room and looked around. It was obviously a workroom, with a cluttered wooden table in the middle and various shelves and counter space around the perimeter that were covered with old textbooks, papers, vials, cauldrons—basically everything needed for inventing. George was standing at the table, his palms on the wood and his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows—his magenta robes lay discarded on a chair—as he frowned down at the cauldron in front of him.

"Hey, Georgie, we have a visitor," Fred said.

George looked up. "Scarlett! What are you doing here?"

"Visiting, of course."

"She got hired at St. Mungo's," Fred grinned. "Turns out she was never failing Umbridge's class after all. Just like we thought."

"That's great, Scar!" George grinned. "I guess we won't need an Extendable Ear costume after all."

Scarlett snorted. "You never needed one in the first place."

Fred looked over at what George was doing, peering into the cauldron and sniffing it. He wrinkled his nose. "Needs more powdered unicorn horn, I think."  
"You're right," George agreed.

"Ginny's here," Fred said, casually leaning against the table.

"She is?" George asked.

Fred nodded. "Yeah, Scar brought her."

"I'd better go find her, then, and say hello."

"No need." The curtain in the doorway flew open to reveal Ginny. "I saw Fred and Scarlett come back here," she explained, going over to hug George.

"How are you?" he asked. "How's the family?"

"Fine, everyone's fine," Ginny said, walking around and examining the shelves. "Bill brought Phlegm over for dinner for the past two weekends in a row. I'll bet you're sorry you missed it." She rolled her eyes. "Mum says she wants you there for the next time he brings her so Fleur can have a chance to 'meet the whole family'."

"We know Fleur," George said, stirring the cauldron.

"Yes, but have you ever _talked_ to her?"

"Well, no," George added.

Ginny nodded. "That's what I thought. She's bloody annoying, I'm warning you. It's more than the hair tossing, prancing lunatic she was during the tournament. Now, besides all that, it's always _France this_ and _France that_. She's _always_ talking about France. It's like she wants to make us feel like we're not good enough because we're not French and we don't live in France. She also seems to have a complaint for everything."

"You're one to talk," Fred smirked.

"I do _not _complain about everything!" Ginny protested. "I'm only complaining about Fleur because she's annoying and I've actually had to put up with her."

"Sorry, but Fleur?" Scarlett asked. "As in Fleur Delacour the Triwizard Champion?"

"Yeah, you don't know?" Fred asked.

"Know what?" Scarlett said, raising an eyebrow and waiting for an explanation.

"Blimey, I can't believe we all forgot to mention it. Fleur and Bill have been dating for nearly a year now. Obviously, he never brought her over for dinner because we were at Grimmauld Place and they were both busy with work. Fleur took a job at Gringott's to-,"

"Eemprove 'er Eengleesh," Ginny, George and Fred said together.

"That's how they officially met," Fred continued. "Anyway, two weeks ago, Bill apparently brought her home for the first time, and last week he brought her over again." Fred glanced at George. "Want to bet on a third week in a row? Five Sickles says she's back next weekend."

"You're on," George replied.

"I've been writing to Fred and George to keep them updated," Ginny explained to Scarlett. "We think Bill wants to ask her to marry him. We're expecting the announcement any day now."

"This way Mum gets to experience at least one proper engagement, eh?" George smirked, nudging Fred.

Fred smirked back. "Yeah, but if Mum was counting on the two of us to do _anything_ properly, then she's bonkers."

Scarlett looked down at the ground and dug the toe of her shoe into the floor. Fred must have noticed, because when she glanced up, his smirk had faded.

"Aw, come on, don't be mad," he said.

"Is your mother really upset that this vow happened? Does she think I messed up her chances for a real daughter-in-law?"

Fred and George glanced at each other. "You look pretty real to me, Scar," George said.

"Yeah," Fred added, reaching out and patting the top of Scarlett's head. "Definitely not a figment of our imaginations."

"Fred, I'm serious," Scarlett said, brushing his hand away. "Is she upset that things didn't happen more naturally for you?"

"Scar, no, George was just kidding. Our mum didn't say anything to us that would put that idea in his head."

"Yeah, I was just being a jerk," George said.

"Mum likes you," Fred assured her. "Loves you, actually. The last time we saw her, she went on for a bit about how polite you were over the summer and the Christmas holidays and how you didn't complain about not being in the Order. _And_ how you didn't feel the need to use magic every two seconds. She basically loves that you're not us." He gestured to himself and George.

"But I guess she doesn't know you as well as she thinks she does," George said with a smirk. "She doesn't know how devious you really are."

Scarlett snorted in response, but didn't say anything.

"You need to stop feeling like such a burden," Ginny piped up, almost bluntly. "What's done is done. You and Fred made the vow and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Even if Mum hated it, she couldn't do anything. And, oddly enough, I think it's Fleur she doesn't like."

"Really? Why?" Scarlett asked, raising her eyebrows.

Ginny shrugged. "Same reasons I don't care for her, I guess. And the fact that she thinks that Bill's not ready to get married just yet. She thinks if they get engaged, they'll be rushing into things."

"What are Fred and I doing, then?" Scarlett asked, feeling terribly all over again. "We're younger than Bill and Fleur and still somewhere in the process of getting completely reacquainted. Technically, we're almost in the same spot as they are."

"Well, you were told in enough time, but you already know my opinion on how exactly you should be using it," Ginny shrugged. "Besides, you two used to know each other when you were little. Bill and Fleur just met last year for the first time."

"I can only imagine what your mother's saying about me," Scarlett sighed.

"I told you—good things," Fred said. "She likes you and doesn't blame either one of us for what happened. I'll admit, I think she sides with Ginny and Erica on the whole falling in love thing, though, but she won't really say it. That's kind of why George and I haven't gone over for dinner the past few weeks. I'm afraid each time will be _the_ time."

"What do you mean?"

"She might go into full blown lecture mode and just let it all out. See, before, she would ask me sporadically about Angelina and my answer was and still is the same. _Yes, Mum, she's still my girlfriend._"

"She doesn't like Angelina?"

"It's not that. It's just, like I said, she agrees with Ginny and Erica. She wants me and you to fall in love."

"If three people are on you two to fall in love, it's worth trying to take the advice," Ginny said.

"We can't force ourselves," Fred answered.

"That's why I said _try_. But are you trying? I don't think so."

Fred shook his head. "I'm beginning to regret your decision to bring her here, Scar."

Scarlett didn't smile. She was really beginning to feel that breaking up with Justin as soon as possible was the right thing to do. It would seem to be a step in the right direction for everyone else, and as far as morals went, it was also probably a step in the right direction. But that didn't change the fact that Fred was still with Angelina and it didn't look as if he was going to break up with her any time soon.

"Scar, it'll be okay, we'll get through it," Fred said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll just take it one day at a time." Using his other hand, he gently forced her to look at him. "Okay?"

Scarlett smiled slightly and nodded. "Okay." Something in Fred's voice made her believe him. Despite all of her worrying, she believed that if they did what Fred said and took things one day at a time, everything really would be okay. He made it sound so incredibly easy, and that was exactly what Scarlett needed.

* * *

**A/N: It's good to have Fred finally back in the story. And he'll obviously be around a lot more now that Scarlett's out of school. As far as the breakup with Justin...it's coming, I swear. I feel terrible for making everyone wait so long, but there's one more major thing that's going to happen before the breakup and I'm not going to say anything else. *zips lips* Plus, the wait will make the breakup much better when it does happen. Right? Hopefully?**

**Thanks for reading and thanks for all the feedback!**


	34. Chapter 34

"_You know, you worry too much. In fact, everybody worries too much."_

**-Jiminy Cricket (Fun and Fancy Free)**

* * *

Scarlett hurried down the hallway as fast as she could. It was her first day of Healer training and she was already busy. She was being trained by a Healer only a few years older than her named Danielle Wilson, who was as polite and friendly as could be. She had been just about to show Scarlett the long term damage ward when Scarlett had been called down to one of the Healer stations.

"You should go," Healer Wilson said. "Meet me here when you're done."

Scarlett had nodded and hurried away.

"I'm here," she said breathlessly as she reached her destination. "I got called down here on the intercom. What is it?"

"You have a delivery," a Healer named Rebecca said, smirking and pointing to a beautiful vase of flowers on the counter.

"What? These are for me? Who are they from?"

"Turn around," Rebecca smirked.

"Why?" Scarlett looked at her, totally bemused.

"Just do it," Rebecca insisted.

Scarlett slowly turned around and her eyes widened. Justin was standing across the hallway, leaning casually against the wall.

"What are you doing here?" Scarlett asked, crossing the hallway to him and laughing in surprise as she gave Justin a hug and a quick kiss.

"You do realize I haven't seen you once since school ended, don't you? That's two whole weeks. We're just starting the second week of July, you know," Justin smirked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I know," Scarlett sighed. "I've been so busy."

"Yeah, I'd gathered that much," Justin laughed. "But that's why I wanted to surprise you and make sure you were free this Friday."

"What are you planning?" Scarlett asked with a slight smile.

"I'll tell you on Friday," Justin replied, kissing her forehead. "Until then, it's a surprise."

"Okay," Scarlett nodded, trying to calm her nerves. There was officially a set date for her to tell Justin about her and Fred. Scarlett wondered how classless it was for her to tell him on a date, but she really did have to tell him. She didn't know if she could put it off for much longer.

"It'll be our first official date outside of Hogwarts," Justin informed her happily.

"That's right, it is," Scarlett said, forcing a smile. Now she felt even worse.

"So this Friday?" Justin said.

"Yeah," Scarlett answered. "This Friday it is."

"Okay, good. I'll come to get you at seven o'clock."

Scarlett nodded. "Thanks for the flowers," she whispered. "They're beautiful."

"Don't mention it," Justin whispered, leaning in to kiss her.

"I have to get back to work," Scarlett said quietly as she pulled away. "I'll get in trouble if they catch me slacking on my first day."

"Okay," Justin said, sighing dramatically.

"I wish I could stay and tell you all about my first day, but-,"

"Hey, you'll get to tell me on Friday," Justin said with a grin, "and I can't wait to hear all about it."

Scarlett grinned and stepped forward again, gently kissing him and wondering vaguely if this could be the last time she would get to do so.

* * *

"So, tonight's the night?" Erica asked sympathetically.

"Tonight's the night," Scarlett said. She moved a stack of fabric off of the living room couch so that she could sit down. She and Erica had been living in their new flat for a week and Scarlett loved it. The place wasn't much; it was a first floor flat that was just big enough for the two of them and it wasn't anything elaborate, but it was home.

"Are you nervous?" Erica leaned against the wall, flipping through a book. She was currently trying to figure out how to use a Muggle sewing machine and Scarlett had advised her to check out a book from a Muggle library on how to do it, which Erica had done almost at once.

"Are you kidding? I can't ever remember being this nervous." Scarlett sighed. "I'm guessing we'll be going to Hogsmeade or the Leaky Cauldron, so-,"

She was interrupted by a knock on the door. Glancing at Erica and taking a deep breath, Scarlett went to answer it.

"Hi," Justin said, smiling almost nervously. Scarlett noticed he was holding a box, but she didn't mention it. She really hoped it wasn't for her. Every time he did something nice or sweet, it made her that much harder to motivate herself to do the right thing and end their relationship.

"Hi," she answered. "Want to come in for a few minutes?"

"Sure." Justin stepped inside and looked around, waving at Erica, who was still flipping through her book. "Looks like you've been busy," he said, glancing at all of the fabrics lying around and at the Muggle sewing machine on the coffee table.

Erica nodded. "Just trying to get some of my designs made," she shrugged.

Justin nodded and turned back to Scarlett, passing the box in his hands to her. "Here, this is for you."

Scarlett looked down at the box, then back at Justin without uttering a word.

"Just open it," he urged with a laugh. "If you wait much longer, you'll make us late."

"Late? Late for what?"

"It's a surprise. At least until after you open the box."

Scarlett sighed and pulled open the box's cover. "Justin," she whispered, looking down at the contents. The box fell to the ground as she pulled out a beautiful, deep blue dress that was strapless and looked to be about knee length.

"Go put it on," Justin urged.

"Can you tell me where you're taking me first?" Scarlett asked.

"Well, my parents really want to meet you, so I'm taking you to my house for dinner."

"What?" Scarlett squeaked, nearly dropping the dress.

Justin laughed. "There's no need to be nervous. They'll love you. I promise."

"Justin," Scarlett said, shaking her head. "I can't do it. I'm not ready to meet them."

"Yes, you are," he insisted. "All you have to do is be your regular, normal, everyday self."

Scarlett fought the urge to turn and begin hitting her head against the wall. She couldn't break up with Justin during a dinner at his house with his parents there. And she couldn't do it after he brought her home, either. What kind of thanks and appreciation would that show him after he brought her home to meet his parents? She also had been hoping to avoid the whole meeting the parents stage of their relationship but now she was meeting Justin's family and couldn't avoid it.

"It's awfully brave of you to bring me to meet them," she managed to say, forcing a tiny smile, "and then urge me to be my usual self because we both know that I'm terribly crazy."

"Just go put the dress on," Justin laughed.

Scarlett headed for her bedroom, grabbing Erica's arm on the way. "You're coming with me," she hissed.

Once in her bedroom, Scarlett shut the door and leaned against it, clutching the dress to her and biting her lip.

"I'm guessing you don't want to break up with him tonight now that this came up," Erica said, sitting on the bed.

"I can't," Scarlett said, sliding to the floor. "I mean, no matter when I tell him, his parents probably won't think too highly of me, but if I tell him on the night I'm meeting them for the first time…what kind of first impression will that be? And it will be a horrible way to repay Justin after he got me this dress and took me to his house to meet his family!"

"I suppose you're right," Erica sighed, "but Scar, this is getting ridiculous! You've been dating him two months short of a year and you haven't told him."

Scarlett closed her eyes and groaned, leaning her head back on her closed door. "Okay, the next time I see him after tonight will be the break up. I promise. You know I was going to do it tonight but I had no idea what he had planned. It does explain why he looks a little too nice tonight for just the Leaky Cauldron. Honestly, that should have set off the warning bells right there."

Erica nodded and flopped back onto the bed as Scarlett stood and began changing into the dress. "You'll have to tell me what it's like," Erica said.

"What what's like?" Scarlett asked as she finished pulling the dress on. "Can you zip me up?"

"Dinner with his parents," Erica said, standing and crossing the room to pull up the zipper on the back of the dress. "And his house. Since they're rich and all."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and smoothed out the front of the dress as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. The dress fit her perfectly. Leave it to Justin to find a dress that was absolutely beautiful and totally flattered her. "So, does this meet the standards of Miss Erica the fashion designer?" she asked, smirking.

"It's a lovely dress," Erica said, examining it a bit closer.

"I think the real question is how good do I look in it?" Scarlett smiled.

"Wonderful, of course," Erica replied, rolling her eyes.

Scarlett adjusted the locket hanging around her neck and quickly fixed her hair before taking a deep breath and heading back down the hallway to the living room where Justin was waiting.

"You look beautiful," Justin whispered, smiling when he saw her.

"Thanks," she said, kissing his cheek.

"Ready to go?"

Scarlett nodded as Justin picked up her hand.

"Have fun," Erica said with a smile, collapsing onto the couch and returning to her book. "I probably won't be here when you get back, so I'll see you tomorrow sometime."

Scarlett nodded. "Okay."

"Where are you going?" Justin asked.

"I'm going to visit my cousin. I don't see her that often and we're long overdue for a visit, so I'll be there overnight," Erica explained.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Scarlett said, smiling as Justin led her from the flat.

"So," Justin said once they were outside, "how's living on your own?"

"It's great. I really like it. It's a change, but a good one." She looked around. "Just out of curiosity, how did you get here?"

"I didn't feel that it would be right using the Floo to pick you up, first of all. Call me traditional, but I'd rather knock on the door than appear in your fireplace. Also, I didn't want either of us to get dirty and lastly, it makes you sick, doesn't it? It's also too far to fly here so I used a Portkey." Justin pointed to a discarded shoe sitting on the steps.

"How? You aren't seventeen yet. You can't use magic outside of school."

"Remember how I said that Angelina lived near me?"

"You asked _Angelina_ to create a Portkey?" Scarlett asked in disbelief.

"No," Justin said quickly. "She wasn't home, and that was how I wanted it. I'd be too embarrassed. I asked her mother."

"Yeah, because that's any better," Scarlett teased with a smile.

"Her mother and my mother are still pretty good friends," Justin replied, "so it's not as weird as you might think. Anyway, this shoe is just an old one of mine." He picked it up and dangled it in her face. "Do you want it?"

"No," Scarlett laughed, wrinkling her nose. "Gross."

Justin laughed and tossed the shoe into a nearby garbage can. "I couldn't even find the matching shoe at home. That's why I used it as a Portkey."

"How do you plan on getting us back to your house, then?" Scarlett asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Justin said, "I was hoping you would be kind enough to Apparate us. It's quicker and besides, I was worried about the spinning Portkey making you sick. I wasn't sure if it was just the Floo or not that caused you to feel sick."

"Thoughtful. I've actually always been uneasy when it comes to Portkeys. Ever since the first time the Floo actually made me throw up, I wasn't too keen on trying out any rapidly spinning transportation methods." She refrained from mentioning the first time the Floo made her throw up was at Fred's great aunt Muriel's house.

"I don't blame you," Justin said, "and I don't think we should take any chances. So that's why you should Apparate us." He looked at her sweetly. "I swear I won't make you do this every time. Now that I'm going to be a sixth year at school, I'll be learning to Apparate."

"I don't mind," Scarlett said, smiling slightly. She squeezed his hand tighter and glanced over at him. "Have you ever Apparated with someone before?"

"No," Justin said, shaking his head. "Why?"

Scarlett shrugged. "Just checking….Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Scarlett squeezed his hand again and turned on the spot. They appeared on Justin's front lawn and Scarlett's mouth promptly dropped open. She had known his family had a lot of money, but his house was _really_ nice. It was big, and lights where shining from inside, giving off a warm, welcoming glow.

"Honestly," Justin said from beside her, looking as if he was trying to catch his breath. "I don't understand how Apparating never made you sick. I heard that a lot of people vomit the first time and now I know why."

"I never vomited," Scarlett shrugged.

"Weird."

"Yeah," she agreed, still staring up at his house.

"What is it?" Justin asked, noticing her expression.

"Your house is lovely."

Justin smiled and blushed before picking up her hand again and leading her to the front door. "Thank you. My parents are really excited to meet you, by the way," he said as they reached the door. He slipped a key into the lock and pushed the door open. "Mum? Dad? We're here," he called, leading Scarlett into the house.

"It's beautiful in here," Scarlett whispered, taking in her surroundings.

"Thanks," Justin said, blushing again.

The foyer of the house had a large, curved staircase, a grandfather clock, and even a chandelier. It was brightly lit and incredibly spacious.

"Mum?" Justin called again, looking around. He finally began leading Scarlett towards a door on the right. "Maybe they're in the living room. Come on." Just as he put his hand on the doorknob, a woman's voice sounded from behind them. "Justin, dear, you're back!"

"My mother," Justin muttered, smiling at Scarlett before turning around.

Scarlett took a deep breath. She was about to meet Justin's mother for the first time. She began to feel the pressure of making a good first impression, but at the same time, she wondered if, in the end, it would even matter.

Exhaling slowly to calm her nerves, she turned around to see a woman with shoulder length, dark hair on the stairs. She was wearing a warm smile and a lovely deep purple dress that reached to the floor. Everything was looking very formal and it made Scarlet even more nervous.

"Did you make it to Scarlett's flat and back okay?" Justin's mother asked as she descended the last few steps and began dusting off Justin's shoulders.

"What does it look like?" Justin asked with a smile.

"Wonderful," his mother said, smiling wider.

"Mum," Justin said, taking Scarlett's hand and gently pulling her forward a few steps. He grinned. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Scarlett Callaway."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Finch-Fletchley," Scarlett said, smiling nervously.

"It's nice to meet you as well, dear," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley said. "Justin's told me quite a lot about you in his letters and when he came home for the Christmas holidays, he wouldn't keep quiet about you." She smiled. "You're every bit as pretty as Justin said you were."

"Thank you," Scarlett said quietly.

Mrs. Finch-Fletchley turned to her son. "The dress looks stunning on her, by the way."

Justin nodded. "It does." He looked at Scarlett and blushed slightly. "She had to help me pick it out."

"Yes, it was nice to be able to shop for someone other than myself. It can be a little frustrating being the only—the only female in the family." Her smile faltered for a moment before coming back full force.

"Mum," Justin said, giving her a look.

Scarlett kept quiet, but glanced back and forth between Justin and his mother.

"What about you, Scarlett dear?" Mrs. Finch-Fletchley asked, acting as if nothing had happened. "Do you like shopping?"

"Er, it's alright, I guess. I don't really go very much. It's just me and my mother and," she nervously scratched the back of her neck, "we weren't really able to go shopping all that much."

"Oh, that's right! Justin did tell me you lived with your mother. I'm dreadfully sorry about your father."

Scarlett half-smiled, but only briefly.

"I didn't tell her much," Justin whispered in Scarlett's ear. "She only knows he died." He turned back to his mother. "She doesn't like to talk about it. Even I don't know any of the specifics."

"Of course she doesn't like to talk about it," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley said, waving her hand. She turned back to Scarlett. "One of these days, I'll have to take you out shopping! You can pick out anything you want and it'll be just the two of us."

Scarlett's mouth practically dropped open. "Mrs. Finch-Fletchley, I don't think that's—I can't possibly-,"

"Oh, rubbish," Justin's mother scoffed, waving her hand. "It'll be my pleasure! I'll be in touch through Justin and we'll figure out a date that works. I hear you're very busy with your Healer duties."

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, I haven't had a lot of free time lately."

"Oh, I know how it is. My husband and I are both doctors and the scheduling is crazy. You get used to it, though."

"Where is dad, by the way?" Justin asked.

"He should be here in a minute. Should we go wait for him in the dining room? Warren should be almost done preparing dinner." She smiled and began leading them towards a doorway off the front hall. "This way," she said cheerily.

"Warren?" Scarlett hissed to Justin as they followed her, hand in hand.

"Yeah, er, see, my mother likes to cook, but she's not very good at it. She really can only cook basic meals. Besides that, she and my dad don't really have a lot of time. Warren cooks all of our food for us." He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced sideways at her.

Scarlett gave him a wide-eyed look. "Seriously? So you have fancy dinners every night?"

Justin laughed. "No, fancy dinners are usually saved for company and important events. Like tonight." His face became serious. "Actually, when I'm home, I typically eat way before my parents do. They get home late, so Warren has to cook for me and then keep their food warm until they get back. So I'm usually eating in the kitchen while Warren finishes cooking."

Scarlett squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry. That must be lonely."

"It's not so bad," Justin shrugged. "Warren's fun to talk to."

"Honestly," Scarlett began, "your parents should have given him the night off. It sounds like he works hard and I'm hardly considered company worthy of a hired chef."

Justin shrugged. "I think you are."

Scarlett half-smiled. "That's sweet, but I'm not. I would have been happy with anything. Even if it was that basic cooking you mentioned. I'm sure whatever your mother can cook is fine."

"Macaroni and cheese from a box, salad, sandwiches and canned soup basically covers it," Justin said.

"Are you kidding? That's what I was used to for a long time. After my dad died and we were struggling, it's all we could really afford and it's all my mother had time to make. I started to learn how to cook because of that. And a lot of time we were just ordering pizza, too. So, what I'm really trying to say is that I like macaroni and cheese. A lot. I like salad, sandwiches, canned soup, and pizza."

Justin laughed. "I'll tell her for next time."

"If she likes me enough to invite me back," Scarlett muttered.

"She does," Justin assured her. "She's already decided she wants to take you shopping, didn't she? She wouldn't have offered to do that for just anyone."

"But she just met me. By the time dinner's over, she might have changed her mind."

"Just be yourself," Justin whispered as they entered the dining room.

"Sit, sit," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley said, gesturing to the beautiful, elegantly set dining room table.

Justin pulled out one of the dark wooden chairs and grinned at Scarlett. "For you."

"Thanks," she said, slowly sitting in the chair and trying to sit up straight. Every one of her surroundings made her feel as if she couldn't just be comfortable. She felt as if she had to watch every move to make sure she was on her very best behavior.

A moment later, a man who Scarlett guessed was Justin's father hurried into the room. "Am I late?" he asked, taking a seat next to his wife and kissing her cheek.

"No, you're right on time, dear. We just sat down." Mrs. Finch-Fletchley looked at Scarlett and beamed. "Robert, this is Justin's girlfriend, Scarlett."

"Ah, the girl who has won over my son's affections," Justin dad boomed. He reached across the table and shook Scarlett's hand, grinning from ear to ear. "Great to meet you."

"It's great to meet you as well," Scarlett said.

"You look nervous," Mr. Finch-Fletchley observed, leaning back in his seat and smiling kindly at her.

Scarlett hesitated. "Well, I am nervous, to be honest," she answered.

"Ah, a nice, honest girl. That's what I like to see," Mr. Finch-Fletchley said. "But don't be nervous." He waved his hand. "You have no reason to worry."

"I've already told Scarlett that one of these days, I'll take her shopping," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley said, smiling at Scarlett as a man appeared from an adjoining room and set plates of food in front of each person at the table. "Thank you, Warren," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley said, glancing up at him as he left the room.

"You really don't have to do that," Scarlett said, picking up her fork. "Take me shopping, I mean."

"Oh, but I want to! Every girl should be able to go on a shopping spree!"

"I've never felt deprived," Scarlett shrugged.

"Of course not," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley laughed. "You didn't know what you were missing!"

Not knowing what else to say, Scarlett stabbed a piece of lettuce with her fork. She felt Justin's hand on her knee and she glanced at him. He gave her a small smile that Scarlett returned.

As the four of them began to eat, the room was thrown into complete silence. The only sound was the clinking of utensils. Scarlett fidgeted uncomfortably in her chair. This was so different than the meals at Grimmauld Place and Hogwarts that Scarlett had grown to love and be accustomed to. It was even different from the meals at home with her mother. At least they talked to one another.

"This is really good," Scarlett said, trying to offer some kind of conversation.

"I'm glad you think so," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley smiled. "I'll have to let Warren know.

The room was thrown into silence once more.

"So, Scarlett," Justin's dad suddenly said, "I hear you're a doctor."

"It's called a Healer in the wizarding world," Justin said, rolling his eyes. "I've told you that."

"It's alright," Scarlett shrugged, stabbing at a tomato on her plate. "And yes, I just started training earlier this week."

"Do you like it?" Mrs. Finch-Fletchley asked, smiling.

"I love it," Scarlett replied. "It's what I've wanted to do since my father died, so-,"

"I hope that's not the only reason you chose the profession," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley interrupted with a slight laugh. She almost came off as degrading.

"I—no," Scarlett said, blinking and turning a light shade of pink. "It's something I'm interested in and I love working with the patients, but-,"

"Good," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley interrupted again, "because sometimes people go into the profession almost to avenge someone they lost. They think they can save everyone, but the truth is that you _can't_ save everyone and you realize that quite often working in a hospital. If you're only there to save people, you're disappointed when you can't." She violently stabbed at her plate as if to emphasize her point.

Scarlett didn't know what to say. She simply blinked a few times, feeling at a loss for what to do.

"Mum," Justin said, giving his mother a look that was half-sympathy and half exasperation.

"You're right, I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. She looked up at Scarlett and smiled wearily. "I'm sorry about that. I just got carried away."

"It's okay," Scarlett said quietly, shooting a confused look at Justin, who just shook his head.

Mr. Finch-Fletchley cleared his throat. "So, Scarlett, tell us, how did you and Justin meet? I don't believe he actually told us the specifics."

"Dad, I don't think-," Justin began, but his mother shushed him.

"I'm eager to hear the story myself! Go on, Scarlett, tell us!"

"Uh, well," Scarlett said, clearing her throat. She looked at Justin again, but he simply shrugged and looked at the ceiling. "I met Justin when I was helping Madame Pomfrey out during my fourth year. Of course, Justin was one of those people that I knew _of_, but had never spoken to. It wasn't until after he had been Petrified that I spoke to him. I was helping to get everyone who had been attacked to get back in order and make sure they were fit to leave the hospital wing."

"You made me laugh," Justin said, smiling at the memory. "You knew I was scared having just woken up and you said something funny….You said…."

"I said 'on the bright side, you got out of a lot of your schoolwork'," Scarlett laughed. "It wasn't that funny. I was being somewhat serious, actually."

"But it made me laugh. It made me feel better."

"Which is why I said it," Scarlett said quietly, smiling at him.

"Personally," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley sniffed, her tone strained, "I'm glad he had you around. I wanted to pull Justin out of school when I first heard about those attacks, but he was stubborn about staying. Honestly, I was about ready to complain about that Dumbledore man, but then heard that he had been kicked out. I haven't liked him very much since those attacks occurred. It didn't seem like he was running a very safe school. And now I've been hearing all about how he believes that dark wizard is back!" She laughed.

"But he is," Scarlett said tentatively. "He is back."

"Do you know for sure?" Mrs. Finch-Fletchley asked. "Have you seen him? Did he knock on your door and personally inform you that he has returned?"

"No, but there are signs, even in the Muggle world," Scarlett said.

"Such as?"

"The bridge that collapsed not too long ago? The frequent fog, especially around London? It all has to do with him."

"So you believe Dumbledore and Harry Potter, then?" Mrs. Finch-Fletchley asked.

Scarlett nodded. "With all due respect, I do."

"Look," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley said, "I've been doing some research. It seems to me that Dumbledore is only saying that Voldemort's back because Harry Potter says so and Harry Potter does not seem mentally or emotionally stable at the moment. Besides, for the longest time, this Minster of Magic that you magic folk have didn't think that dark wizard was back. He just started admitting it now! How do I know he hasn't had some kind of spell put on him?"

"Did you look through the Daily Prophet?"

"Why does it matter? I don't care if everyone else seems to all of a sudden think that this You-Know-Who person really is back. I don't think what Dumbledore is saying is true. I don't trust him after the way he was running that school during those attacks. Justin could have died! Besides, I haven't seen this dark wizard with my own eyes, and-,"

"You don't want to," Scarlett told her.

"—from what I hear nobody else has seen him either," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley plowed on.

"The Minister _has_ seen him. It took him actually seeing him to believe he was back. And he isn't even the Minister anymore. He's been replaced."

"I don't care. I haven't seen any evidence. You said the bridge and the fog was evidence, but that doesn't sound like evidence to me. Things like that aren't unheard of. They can happen without magic."

"You know what, Mum?" Justin sighed, "I think you just worry way too much. And I also think Dumbledore knows what he's doing most of the time. He's not what he's been made out to be."

"Oh, I _worry_ too much, do I?" Mrs. Finch-Fletchley asked shrilly. "I suppose you don't think I have any reason to?"

"Sylvia," Mr. Finch-Fletchley said. His voice was gentle, but held a warning at the same time.

"I'm tired of not being taken seriously," Mrs. Finch-Fletchley muttered. "I do have every reason to worry!"

"Yeah, but sometimes it's just too much!" Justin exclaimed. "It's almost suffocating."

"Justin-," his dad sighed.

"You know what? I've had enough!" Mrs. Finch-Fletchley stood up, tossed her napkin onto her chair and marched out of the room.

Mr. Finch-Fletchley sighed. "I'll go after her. You two stay and finish eating."

Scarlett sat frozen in her seat as he left the room. She had no idea what had just happened, but she felt terrible.

"I think I'm finished eating," Justin muttered.

Scarlett nodded. "Me, too." She didn't even want to look Justin in the eye. She felt ashamed. She had singlehandedly ruined dinner and Justin's parents probably hated her. As much as Scarlett hated to think so, she couldn't help but feel as if it had been a sign and that maybe, just maybe, they were better off hating her.

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter's longer than usual, but hopefully that's okay. Next chapter we'll find out what's wrong with Justin's mother and then Fred will be back again probably in the chapter after that. (yay!). **

**Thanks for reading!**


	35. Chapter 35

"_The human world—it's a mess!"_

**-Sebastian (The Little Mermaid)**

* * *

It only took a second after Justin's parents had left for Warren to hurry into the Finch-Fletchley's dining room. "Another outburst?" he asked sympathetically as he began to clear the plates.

Justin nodded as Scarlett glanced up. _Another_ outburst? This had happened before?

"I think I brought it on. Again," Justin sighed.

"Don't worry about it too much," Warren shrugged. "It's hard for her."

"I know, but sometimes, I just can't take it. She was wearing on my nerves and she wasn't being very nice to Scarlett. I just-,"

"_I_ wasn't being very nice to _her_," Scarlett whispered. "I think I was the one who brought all this on, to be honest."

"It wasn't you," Warren said gently. "Sometimes…well, sometimes she just gets a bit worked up. It wasn't your fault."

Scarlett stared down at her hands as Warren finished stacking up the plates.

"Thanks, Warren," Justin sighed.

"There's dessert in the kitchen if you want any."

Justin glanced at Scarlett, who shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe later," he said, half-smiling, "but I can get it if we want any. You're free to go home for the night. I'll see you tomorrow."

Warren nodded and headed back into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," Justin and Scarlett said together. They turned to look at each other in surprise.

"What are _you_ sorry for?" Justin asked.

"Like I said, I wasn't being very nice. I brought all this on. I got her worked up. She was upset when I was talking about being a Healer, and then I had the nerve to argue with her about Dumbledore and Harry!" She looked up at the ceiling in frustration. "I ruined everything."

"No," Justin whispered. He turned sideways in his chair and brought a hand to Scarlett's cheek, forcing her to look at him. "You didn't do anything. It was me. My comment was what really set her off. And I'm sorry you had to witness that. I'm sorry this had to happen on a night you were here. It's not how I wanted tonight to go."

"I didn't want it to go this way either," Scarlett sighed. "I just feel so ashamed. You must be so embarrassed by me…I mean, it only makes sense your mother would be cautious about Dumbledore. I think a lot of parents of Muggleborns are worried. I shouldn't have argued about it and made her feel stupid."

"Don't make excuses for her, Scar," Justin whispered. He sighed. "My mother is …difficult to explain."

"You don't have to," Scarlett answered. "Explain, I mean."

"No, I think I do. I think I owe you an explanation. Come on." Justin got to his feet and pulled Scarlett up with him. He led her out of the dining room, across the front foyer, and into another room—the living room. "Sit," he said gently, gesturing to the black leather couch.

As Scarlett sat and took in the room, just as beautiful as the rest of the house, Justin knelt in front of the fireplace and lit a fire before coming to sit beside Scarlett. He stared into the fire and rested his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands out in front of him. "When my mother was twelve," he finally began, "her sister, who was only ten, got really sick. There was nothing the doctors could do. No matter what treatment they tried, it wouldn't work. Eventually, she passed away."

"That's terrible," Scarlett whispered, staring at Justin's profile.

"My mother was really close to her sister and she felt so helpless during the time when Helen—that was her sister's name—was sick. That's what made her want to become a doctor."

Scarlett nodded. "That makes sense."

"My mother loved being a doctor at first. She still does, don't get me wrong, but…."

"But what?" Scarlett asked gently.

"It's different," Justin said. He reached over to the end table to his right and picked up a picture. He looked at it and smiled briefly before handing it to Scarlett. "Here, look at this."

She stared at him for a moment, confused. Justin simply nodded towards the photo. "Look at it."

Scarlett looked down and scanned the photo. It was taken outside under a huge oak tree with a tire swing. It was wintertime. Justin was sitting on the tire swing, bundled up in warm clothes, looking no older than seven, while a girl that looked about a year or two older dangled upside down from the branch the tire swing hung from.

"That was taken out in our backyard," Justin said. He slid closer and pointed to the girl hanging from the branch. "That's my sister, Anna."

Scarlett's head snapped up. "Your sister?" she asked. "I didn't know you had a sister."

"That's because I don't anymore," Justin whispered. He took the picture and returned it back to its spot on the table. "That photo was taken not too long before she died. I was seven and she was nine. She went into a coma on January 12th, and died two weeks later. It was about a month before her tenth birthday. She actually would have been the same age as you."

"Oh, Justin," Scarlett whispered, taking his hand and lacing her fingers through his. She refrained from mentioning January 12th was the day her dad had died. It just didn't seem like the right time to say it. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Justin shrugged. "I didn't want to freak you out or scare you off and it's still not all that easy for me to talk about after all these years. It's worse for my mother. It really changed her. She felt guilty and helpless all over again. When Anna was in the coma, nothing my parents or any other doctors did could help her. My parents were going crazy. They spent the majority of the two weeks working, trying to find some method that would help her. When they weren't working, they were at her bedside. They took me to visit a few times, but whenever I wasn't visiting, I was home with my aunt and uncle—my dad's brother and his wife. I had never been so scared and anxious in my entire life."

"Justin-," Scarlett said again.

"Let me finish," he whispered, shaking his head. "It's why my mother's so protective now. It's why she's so afraid to lose anyone else, especially me. I'm her only kid now, and I was the youngest. It makes sense and I understand what she's feeling, but it's so…annoying sometimes."

Scarlett squeezed his hand. "I know how she must feel," she whispered. "I felt guilty and helpless when my dad died and it's why I became a Healer, as you know."

Justin nodded. "You and my mother are oddly alike. Besides the whole Healer thing, it just so happens that Anna was in a car accident. That's how she went into the coma. My mother was driving, which I think is why it was even more traumatizing for her." He looked up at Scarlett and studied her face as if to gauge her reaction.

"Really?" Scarlett asked, raising her eyebrows.

Justin nodded. "It was horrible. My mother survived with some broken bones and a concussion, but Anna…she was in the backseat and the other car hit them right where she was sitting. You know the rest."

Scarlett smiled sympathetically. "It wasn't truly your mother's fault, though. Another car hit them. Not the other way around. I'm sure she was driving safely."

Justin nodded and stared back into the fire. "My mother was bringing Anna to Kensington Gardens. She loved it there. I usually liked to go, too, but for some reason—I don't even remember what—I wasn't with them that day. Anyway, right across from Kensington gardens, some other jerk went through a traffic light. I guess he had fallen asleep. They didn't tell us much and my mother was unconscious immediately following the accident, so we know next to nothing about him. We do know he didn't survive the crash either, though, but I think there was a child in the backseat that survived. My mother was devastated after Anna died and she—she kept asking why it had to be _her_ kid."

Scarlett gasped as her mouth dropped open and her stomach clenched. This _had _to be a coincidence. It just had to be.

"I know, it sounds terrible," Justin said, not knowing the real reason why Scarlett had gasped, "but she didn't really mean it. She would never actually wish death on anyone. You have to understand that she was grieving. Terribly, too. We all were. My mother didn't even want to know anything about the other family, she was so upset. The guy didn't live so he didn't get into any legal trouble, and as for the medical bills, my mother said it wasn't necessary for the other family to pay."

"Why?"

"She didn't want to have to meet them, like I said. She was too upset. And then she and my dad just took care of everything on their own. Anyway, my mother kind of changed after that and hasn't quite been the same. I was hoping she would be okay tonight. I didn't want to have to burden you with all this."

"No, I'm glad you told me," Scarlett whispered. "Um, how old did you say your sister was when this happened?"

"Nine," Justin answered, looking up at her. "She was your age, like I said. Why?"

"No reason," Scarlett managed to choke out, hoping her voice sounded casual. She struggled to remember what she had been told about the accident after she had woken up in the hospital. She had always thought that another car had hit her dad's car, but maybe it had been the other way around. Was she being paranoid? It could all simply be a coincidence. But then again, the facts from Justin's story were nearly parallel to hers. It all fit.

"Are you alright?" Justin asked, resting a hand on her cheek and brushing his thumb over her skin. "You look really pale."

Scarlett nodded. "I'm fine, I promise. I should go, though."

"Go?" Justin asked as Scarlett stood up. "Was it because of what I told you or because of how my mother was acting?"

"No, it has nothing to do with you," Scarlett answered.

"Then stay," Justin whispered, pulling her back down onto the couch.

"I really shouldn't," she replied. "I mean, it's getting late and I don't think your parents liked me all that much to be honest…."

"Don't be silly. They loved you. My mum wants to take you shopping, doesn't she? She wouldn't make that offer to just anyone."

"Yeah, but that was before I upset her."

"Scar, what did I tell you?" Justin asked quietly. "You didn't upset her. That was my fault, not yours."

"But-,"

"No. No buts," Justin interrupted, shaking his head. "You had no idea why my mother is the way she is. I should have warned you sooner, but I was hoping it wasn't going to be necessary. I didn't want to burden you or anything."

"It's okay, I really am glad you told me," Scarlett said.

"Scarlett, what's wrong?" Justin asked quietly.

"Nothing," she responded quickly. For good measure, she looked up at him and smiled. "I swear."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I mean, I'm just trying to process what you told me. It's heartbreaking."

Justin nodded. "Anna and I did a lot together before she died. I just wish I got to spend more time with her."

Scarlett smiled sympathetically as he stomach twisted unpleasantly. "I'm sure she was a wonderful girl."

"She was," Justin whispered.

They fell into silence for a moment before Scarlett spoke again. "I don't want you to think I had a horrible time tonight. I had a good time. I really did."

"Don't say that. I know you didn't."

"I did," Scarlett insisted. "I really loved meeting your parents and Warren is a great cook. The food was delicious."

"I think you're too good for me," Justin said. "Even when my parents were pretty embarrassing, you tell me how great they are and you're totally understanding about everything."

Scarlett smiled. "No, really, I think _you're_ the one who's too good for _me_."

"I doubt that," Justin said, looking at her. He reached out and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you," he whispered.

Scarlett glanced at her hands before looking back at Justin. "Love you too," she whispered back.

Leaning in, Justin pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, deepening it after a moment. Scarlett had half a mind to pull away and leave before it went any further, but she didn't. Not right away at least.

"Justin," she whispered a minute or two later. "We have to stop."

"Why?" he mumbled, lightly kissing her neck.

"Because…I have to leave."

"Who says? You don't have to work tomorrow, do you?"

"No, but…I still need to get back."

"That's not a good excuse," Justin whispered, returning to kissing her lips.

"Justin," she whispered with a slight sigh as she pulled away.

"What?" he whispered back.

"I really should go."

"It's all my fault," Justin sighed. "First I depress you with the story about my mother and then I—"

"It has nothing to do with you," Scarlett assured him. "Honestly. I promise."

"It's not your fault either," Justin told her. "I don't think what you said about Harry and You-Know-Who was all that ridiculous. I agree with you, actually."

"So you believe Harry, then?" Scarlett asked with a small smile, remembering how unsure Justin had been a little less than a year ago. "You're not going to side with your mother and tell me that seeing is believing?"

Justin shook his head. "Honestly, I've decided to forget about the Prophet and the Minister. I trust you. If you're insisting he's back, I'm going to believe you. And I do like Harry, so…." He trailed off and blew a puff of air out of his mouth.

Scarlett half-smiled. "That means a lot."

Justin smiled feebly. "You know, no matter how…strange tonight was, I'm glad you came."

"Me, too."

"Come on, I'll walk you to the door." He stood up and took her hand.

"Thank you for having me. Tell your parents I said goodbye and thank you as well," Scarlett said when they reached the door. She stepped outside and stood on the front steps. "Oh, and tell Warren thank you for cooking and that it was delicious."

"Will do," Justin said, smiling at her. "Hopefully I'll see you soon?"

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, of course."

Justin reached out and ran his thumb over her cheek before leaning in and giving her a kiss.

"Bye," she whispered with a half-smile. "And thank you again."

"Don't mention it," Justin answered.

Scarlett smiled before turning to walk down the steps. When she reached the lawn, she turned and waved at Justin, still standing in the doorway. She watched him wave back as she mulled over the three possible places she could go right now. She settled on one and before she could change her mind, she disapparated.

* * *

**A/N: So this chapter explains Mrs. Finch-Fletchley's behavior but now there's another plot twist in Scarlett's story. On a positive note, Fred will be around a lot in the upcoming chapters to make up for him not being around in the past two, which I'm very excited about. I love writing the twins and I'm pretty sure I miss them as much as you guys do when they aren't around :)**

**Thanks for reading and also for all of the awesome feedback!**


	36. Chapter 36

"_Sometimes bad things happen and there's nothing you can do about it, so why worry?"_

** -Simba (The Lion King)**

* * *

Scarlett appeared in Diagon Alley seconds after leaving Justin's house. More specifically, she appeared right in front of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She felt as if she was doing something she shouldn't by going to see Fred, but he was the only person that she could think of to talk to right now considering Erica was away for the night. And she needed to talk to _someone_. Her head was practically spinning with everything she had learned from Justin.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the building in front of her. All the lights in the shop were off, which made sense. It was obviously closed. But Scarlett couldn't see any lights on upstairs in the flat either. She chewed on her lip. Were the twins out? She highly doubted they were already sleeping.

Just as she was beginning to think it was completely stupid of her to have come, a light turned on upstairs and Fred appeared in the window. He stood in the middle of the room facing away from the window as he pulled off his magenta work robes and tossed them on the bed before beginning to loosen his tie.

Making a split second decision, Scarlett looked around and found a small pebble on the ground. Taking aim, she flung it with all her might at Fred's window. She saw him jump and stare straight through the glass. He wasn't even thinking of looking down. Smirking slightly, Scarlett found another pebble and threw it. This time, Fred picked up his wand and held it in front of him before throwing open the window.

"Going to hex me?" Scarlett asked, raising an eyebrow.

Fred looked down and blinked a few times. "Scarlett?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's me."

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you. Did you just finish working at this hour?"

"Sort of," Fred sighed. "We closed three hours ago, but we've been working on creating a new product, so that's what we were doing up until now."

"Oh," Scarlett said. "You know what? I should go. You're probably tired. It was stupid of me to come here. I-,"

"No, Scarlett, what's wrong?" Fred asked. "I can hear it in your voice that something's bothering you."

Scarlett didn't answer right away. "Can you come down here?" she asked quietly after a moment.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," Fred said. He began to pull his head back inside the window, but then paused and stuck it back out again. "Unless you'd like me to let down my long, luscious locks of hair for you to climb up."

A tiny smile flickered across Scarlett's face. "Something tells me that plan wouldn't work out too well."

Fred smiled. "I have to agree. Okay, hold on, I'll be right down."

Scarlett nodded as he pulled his head back inside and disappeared from view. Once he was gone, Scarlett sat down on a nearby bench facing Diagon Alley and stared absentmindedly at Ollivanders, which was across the street and a few shops down. It was deserted and almost completely trashed. A few seconds later, she heard Fred come outside, but she kept her gaze on the deserted wand shop.

"Hey," Fred said, walking around the bench. He blinked a few times when he noticed what Scarlett was wearing. "What are you all dressed up for?"

Scarlett sighed. "Justin bought me this. I went to dinner at his house tonight and met his parents."

"Ah," Fred said. He was quiet for a few seconds. "Well, come on, stand up and let's see if Finchy did a good job picking something out for you."

"Fred," Scarlett said, looking up at him warily.

"No, come on, I'm serious," Fred insisted. He held out his hand.

Scarlett stared at him, not amused in the least, until she finally sighed, placed her hand in his and stood up.

"Hmm," Fred said, smirking as he stepped back, holding her hand at arm's length. "Turn around."

"Fred, I'm really not in the mood."

Fred smiled and casually twirled his finger in a circle.

Sighing again, Scarlett let go of his hand and slowly spun around, staring up at the sky in annoyance as she did so. "Are you happy now? Are we done?"

Fred nodded. "I approve. The Finch actually did a great job."

"Don't be too impressed. His mother helped him pick it out." Scarlett half smiled before plopping back down on the bench again.

"Ah," Fred said, sitting down next to her. "You know," he added a moment later, "it's not really all that safe out here anymore."

Scarlett shrugged. "I suppose I shouldn't worry, though, since you're here, right?" she said with a wry smile.

"What does that matter?"

Scarlett looked at him. "Aren't we safe as long as you're around? The boy who never gets caught?"

Fred smiled. "This isn't Hogwarts," he said quietly. "It's different out here."

"Yeah, I suppose it is," Scarlett sighed, looking away.

"But I am flattered that you feel safe with me," Fred added.

A tiny smile flickered across Scarlett's face, but she didn't say anything.

"So," Fred said, "how did dinner go?"

Scarlett groaned and buried her head in her hands. "I don't know. It was great to meet Justin's parents, but I think they hate me. If they don't already, they will eventually."

"What are you talking about? I'm pretty sure they don't hate you."

"Justin's mother," Scarlett began, lifting her head and looking blankly across the cobblestoned alley, "well, she….If I tell you, promise you won't say anything to anyone else?"

Fred nodded. "Promise."

"I was talking about how my dad's death was the reason I wanted to be a Healer and it kind of upset her. Then we were talking about how Justin and I met, which, in a nutshell, turned into his mother saying Dumbledore and Harry are nutters and that she doesn't trust Dumbledore after what happened when the Chamber of Secrets was opened. I tried to tell her as politely as I could that I disagreed. Then, Justin said she was too overprotective, and she left the room very upset."

"How was that your fault?" Fred asked.

"I was rude. I argued with her."

"You just said you politely disagreed with her. There's nothing wrong with that. You _are_ entitled to your own opinion, you know."

"I know I am, but I was being insensitive. After dinner, Justin told me that her sister died when they were younger, which is why Mrs. Finch-Fletchley wanted to become a doctor. Then, eight years ago, _Justin's_ sister died. She was in a coma and there wasn't anything anybody could do. It makes sense for Mrs. Finch-Fletchley to be the way she is. It makes sense for her to be overprotective of Justin and even a little worried about You-Know-Who."

"Yeah, but it doesn't make sense for her to be an idiot."

"Fred!" Scarlett scolded.

"Worrying about You-Know-Who is different from outright denying he's back, Scar. From what you've said, she doesn't believe he's back and if she's going around refusing to believe it and refusing to take any necessary precautions, then she's not protecting anyone."

"I know," Scarlett sighed.

"I still don't think you did anything wrong. She'll come around eventually and maybe you two can just agree to disagree. She was probably just overcome with memories of when her daughter died, which, by the way, you didn't know about until later, so, again, you did nothing wrong."

"I think I was sort of involved," Scarlett whispered. "I think I was sort of involved with the death of Justin's sister."

"What?" Fred asked. He clearly hadn't been expecting that at all.

Scarlett continued to stare straight ahead. "She was in a car accident on January 12th, the same day I was in the accident with my dad. The accident happened in the same spot. Justin said his sister was the same age as me and died when she was nine. He also said they never knew much about the car that hit them except a man was driving, fell asleep, died, and there was a child in the car. Me, of course."

"Do you know for sure?" Fred asked as he tried to process it all. "Did you talk to your mother?"

"No, I came straight here. I'm almost afraid to ask and find out for sure. Although, I think I'm pretty sure already. It all fits."

"And the Finch hasn't pieced any of this together?" Fred asked.

"No," Scarlett answered. "I didn't tell him anything about my dad except that he died on impact in a car accident. For once, keeping everything inside helped me. I am going to tell him, though. I have to. It's just another huge secret I'm keeping from him. I can't keep doing this."

"Scar," Fred said, "this—the accident, his sister—wasn't your fault either."

"I know it's not, but it's just…weird. And scary, too. I mean, the car I was in hit Justin's mother's car and it's the reason his sister's dead. I just don't know what to feel."

"Were _you_ driving the car?" Fred asked.

"No, my dad was, but this isn't his fault either!"

"No, it's not. That's not what I was getting at. He fell asleep. He was overtired. Was he drunk? No. Was he speeding? No. Was he being reckless? No. And all you were doing was sitting in the backseat. It wasn't anyone's fault."

"My dad shouldn't have been driving if he was overtired. I convinced him."

"Your dad was a grown man who could make his own decisions," Fred said. "Clearly, he thought he was fine or else he wouldn't have gotten in the car. If he suspected he would fall asleep, do you think he would have agreed to bring you to lunch? I don't think he would have. Especially with you there."

Scarlett was quiet. "Even still," she finally whispered, "I feel like I ruined Justin's family."

"Scarlett," Fred said sternly, "I want you to listen to me. It wasn't your fault or your dad's that this happened. Sometimes bad things just happen and it's out of anyone's control. You have no reason to feel bad. What will it take for you to believe me?"

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't think there's anything you can do. Eventually, I'll feel better about it, but right now it's just too much to process."

"I can imagine," Fred said gently.

"I'm afraid I'll get nightmares again."

Fred stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate.

"When the accident happened, I had horrible nightmares for a while. Really, really horrible. I would wake up screaming my head off. My mother would wake up and run into my room. The first time it happened, she thought I was hurt or something was happening. She always stayed up with me until I fell asleep, though. Every single time. Eventually, the nightmares stopped, but I'm afraid that what I found out tonight will make them come back. I'm afraid to go through that again."

Fred stared at her. "Do you really think they will? Come back, I mean."

Scarlett shrugged. "I'm really scared they will. Just from how I'm feeling about what Justin told me. It's terrifying. It was their car that was involved in the accident. There's an emotional connection to the other people involved. I'm afraid all the memories are going to resurface and it's going to be different knowing that the people in the other car were Justin's mother and sister."

"But you don't know for sure if it was them you hit," Fred reasoned.

"There's a strong possibility," Scarlett said. "And all of it scares me."

"Can I show you something?" Fred asked after a moment.

Scarlett looked over at him and nodded. "Sure."

Fred stood up and held out a hand to her. She hesitated briefly before taking it.

"Remember when you came to visit a few weeks ago and I said I wanted you to come back so I could show you something?" Fred asked.

"Yeah," Scarlett replied slowly as Fred led her to the front door and opened it.

"Well, I think now is a good time to show you," he said.

"Why?"

"Why not? You're here, aren't you? And personally, I think you'll like what I have to show you."

Fred led Scarlett to the back of the shop, up the stairs, and into the flat.

"So," Scarlett said, taking in her surroundings, "this is where you live now."

"Yeah, this is the living room, as you can see. The kitchen's over there, and my room and George's room are down the hall."

"You don't share anymore?" Scarlett asked with a tiny smirk.

"No, we decided that having our own rooms would be best."

"Yeah, now you can have Angelina over whenever you want without having to worry about it."

"Shut up," Fred muttered. "Anyway, come on." He led her down the hall to a door at the very end. He pushed it open to reveal a set of stairs. "Ladies first," he said, gesturing for Scarlett to go up ahead of him.

Scarlett slowly turned her gaze from his face to the stairs. "Where do they lead?" she asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and hesitation.

"To the room where I keep my pet dragon," Fred snorted.

"Very funny, you jerk."

"Yeah, it's feeding time and I'm running low on food. I was planning on feeding you to him," Fred smirked.

"You can't. I die, you die. Remember?"

"What a pity," Fred said, pretending to look disappointed. "I was really looking forward to feeding you to that dragon."

Scarlett rolled her eyes before ascending the stairs. When she reached the top and pushed open a second door, she couldn't help but smile.

"You like it?" Fred asked from behind her.

"Yeah," she replied, stepping out on to the roof, quite similar to the one at Grimmauld Place. "It's great."

"It's one of the things that initially drew me to this building," Fred said, sticking his hands in his pockets and wandering to the far side of the roof, looking out across the tops of the buildings.

"Yeah?" Scarlett asked, joining him.

Fred nodded. "It reminded me of Grimmauld Place."

"So, let me get this straight. Something that reminded you of that dingy old house drew you to this place?" Scarlett asked.

Fred laughed. "The rest of the house might have been a little dingy, but the roof wasn't all that bad."

"You're right, it wasn't."

"You can see all of Diagon Alley from up here. Not that there's much to see anymore, but I expect if things get better, it'll be great," Fred shrugged.

Scarlett nodded. "I agree. You know, this would be a great place to bring Angelina. If you haven't already, of course."

Fred shook his head. "I haven't. She's only been here once, anyway and she couldn't stay long. I had time to show her around the shop and that was pretty much it."

"Really?" Scarlett asked.

"She's busy, I'm busy," Fred shrugged.

"I've been busy as well and I've been here twice. And you made room in your schedule both times to talk to me. If you and Angelina wanted to see each other, you'd make time."

"Well, Angie's been travelling. She's been trying out for all these different Quidditch teams all over the place and then she has to decide which one she wants to play for."

"Is she trying to secure a spot on a team that's close by?"

Fred nodded. "Yeah, but there's no guarantee." He chewed on the inside of his cheek and looked out at the sky. "I think our relationship's falling apart," he confessed.

Scarlett was quiet for a moment. "What makes you think that?"

"We aren't talking all that much anymore. We've only been writing letters, which haven't been all that detailed."

"Well, didn't you just say you've both been busy?"

"Yeah…."

"Doesn't that explain it, then?"

"Maybe," Fred said. "I thought about it and I know her excuse is that she's busy and out of town a lot, but as for me…like you said, I could make time to see her. I'm just scared that I'm not trying anymore. I mean, sometimes I think that I can't see a relationship like this working where I'm here, committed to the shop, and Angelina's gone all the time. Even if she does sign with a team close by, there's going to be away games and interviews and a ton of media attention. I'm not sure if I can handle that so maybe I've given up."

"The shop gets media attention. And practically every witch and wizard knows about it," Scarlett reasoned.

"Yeah, but it's different. We don't get all that much media attention. Only when we first opened, really. It'll be different for Angelina once she makes it as a famous Quidditch player."

"I would tell you that you should try to fix this, but then-,"

"You know it's not worth it," Fred finished. "Yeah, I get it."

"I'm really sorry, Fred."

Fred shook his head. "This has nothing to do with you or the vow, so don't apologize. It would have happened with or without the vow."

"But without the vow, you could be fixing your relationship. You'd be more motivated."

"Is this another thing you're going to blame yourself for?" Fred sighed.

"No," Scarlett replied quietly. "It's just that I know how much you like her."

Fred was silent for a moment. "Yeah," he said, almost half-heartedly.

"Do you think you'll break up with Angelina or are you just going to let things fizzle out?" Scarlett asked.

Fred shrugged. "I don't know yet. What about you with Justin?"

"Things aren't bad enough between us where they're about to fizzle out, despite what happened tonight at dinner. I'm just going to break up with him. Probably next weekend. Like I said earlier, I can't keep hiding all of this stuff from him. It's going to be difficult, but," she sighed, "it has to be done."

"You love him, don't you?" Fred whispered.

Scarlett looked up. "What makes you think that?"

"Just from how you're acting," Fred said, shrugging one shoulder.

"Erica didn't tell you?"

"No, why would she tell me?" Fred asked, letting out a breath of laughter.

"I don't know," Scarlett replied, shaking her head. "I just didn't expect you to figure it out. Anyway, yeah, I do love Justin, but it's almost complicated. I don't think my feelings for him are as deep as his are for me, and that scares me."

"Why?"

"Firstly, I don't' know if it's how I really feel or if I'm holding back because of the vow. Secondly, the more he feels for me, the more upset he'll be when I sit down, tell him the truth, and break up with him."

Fred sighed. "What are we doing to ourselves?" he asked.

"I have no idea," Scarlett answered. "But it has to get better, right?"

Fred nodded. "Right."

The two of them were quiet for a moment. "I should go," Scarlett finally said. "It's getting late."

"It's only a little before eleven," Fred said. "It's not that late."

Scarlett sighed. "It feels so much later. Anyway, even still, I've wasted enough of your time being ridiculous and I really should-,"

"Are you still afraid?"

Scarlett gave him a puzzled look. "What?"

"About having nightmares," Fred prompted.

Scarlett shrugged. "A bit."

"What if you…stay here for the night?" Fred asked slowly.

"Fred, I can't do that. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"You're scared, though," Fred said.

"Well, yeah, but-,"

"Are you worried Erica will interrogate you tomorrow if you don't come home tonight?" Fred smirked.

Scarlett shook her head. "She's staying at her cousin's tonight and she won't be back until tomorrow afternoon."

"So you don't even have to worry about her," Fred said. "Excellent. It's all the more reason you should stay here. You'll have some company and you won't have to be alone all night."

"How would that look after I just came from Justin's house?"

"He doesn't have to know you were here. Besides, we're not going to actually do anything, of course."

"I don't really think it's necessary," Scarlett said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Come on," Fred said. He grabbed her arm and led her back downstairs. When they opened the door to the flat, George stuck his head around the corner from the kitchen. "Hey, Scar, I figured Fred had brought you up to see the roof."

"Yeah, it's lovely," she said with a tiny smile.

"Fred loves it," George continued. "I think he should just move all his stuff up there and make it his own personal space."

Scarlett smiled as Fred rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," George said, "I'm making a midnight snack. Do either of you want anything?"

Scarlett shook her head. "No, thanks."

"It's not midnight yet, George," Fred teased. "It's too early for a midnight snack."

"Close enough," George shrugged. "Do you want anything or not?"

"No, I'm fine," Fred said. He glanced at Scarlett. "Uh, Scar's going to stay here tonight."

Scarlett sighed and crossed her arms, but didn't say anything until George raised an eyebrow. "I found out some information earlier tonight that makes me worry my nightmares from when my dad died will come back. Fred doesn't think I should be left alone."

"It worries me," Fred said. "If these nightmares are as bad as you say they are…."

"They might not even come back."

"But you think they might."

"Maybe not. It's ridiculous, really, that they might. It was a dumb thought."

"No, it's not," Fred argued.

"Scar, maybe you _should_ just stay here," George said. "It'll be the only way to get this lunatic to shut up." He jerked his head towards Fred.

"Thanks, George," Fred sighed. "Thanks a lot."

"I'm here for you," George said. He was smiling, but at the same time, he was giving Fred a quizzical look.

Fred ignored George's expression and turned back to Scarlett. "Come on." He dragged her into his room and began rummaging through drawers while Scarlett looked around.

Binky was sitting on the nightstand, fast asleep. Scarlett smiled and gently patted the top of his head before wandering towards the window. "You're reading this?" she asked, picking _Peter Pan_ up from them window seat. There was a bookmark halfway through it.

Fred paused in his search through the drawer to glance up. He smiled when he saw what Scarlett was holding. "Yeah. It's not the same was when you tell it, though." He pulled two t-shirts and two pairs of pajama pants out of the drawer. "Here," he said, tossing one of each at Scarlett.

"What are these?" she asked, catching them.

"You can't sleep in _that_," Fred said, gesturing towards her dress. "I mean, as nice as it is…."

"I can manage," Scarlett said, blushing slightly. "I'm not going to wear your clothes."

"Scar," Fred sighed.

"Fred," she answered, almost pleadingly.

"I'm not asking you to do anything immoral," Fred said. "You're not going to be comfortable in that dress, so I'm giving you something to put on."

"I shouldn't even be staying here. I really—I can't. I'm just going to go home."

"No, you're not. I wouldn't feel right. I wouldn't be able to sleep. I'd be too worried."

"Fred, don't be dramatic."

"I really would worry, though," Fred said. "I really think you should stay here. As much as you try to hide it, I can see you're nervous about the nightmares coming back and if you stay, you won't have to go through it alone."

"But-,"

"Scar," Fred said again.

Scarlett didn't answer for a moment. "Fine," she finally sighed.

Fred smiled as he finished pulling off his tie. He threw it haphazardly onto his desk. "I'll go change in the bathroom so you can have some privacy."

Scarlett nodded. "Okay."

Fred headed for the door and turned to close it. Before he did close it, he stuck his head back in the room. "See? I have morals. I'm giving you your privacy when I could have very well suggested you change right in front of me."

Scarlett smiled. "I know you have morals. Deep down, maybe, but you do have them."

Fred laughed. "Thanks," he said. "Really, you're too kind."

"I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea from me staying at your flat and wearing your clothes."

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"Nobody else is going to know," Fred said in a dramatic whisper.

Scarlett actually laughed. "Okay, okay. Now get out before I hex you."

"There's the Scarlett I know," Fred said. He smiled before slowly closing the door.

Once the door was shut, Scarlett looked down at the items in her hands and sighed. She set them on the bed so she could get out of her dress. Fishing out her wand, she used it to unzip the back. There was no way she was asking one of the twins to do it.

Wearing Fred's clothes was odd, Scarlett realized, once she had put them on. Even on the few occasions where she wore Justin's clothes, it was only ever a sweatshirt or a jacket. And now here she was in Fred Weasley's pajamas. She sighed again and turned away from the mirror to neatly drape her dress over a chair in the corner.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Scar?" Can I come in?" Fred asked.

"Yeah," she answered, sitting down on the window seat and flipping through Fred's copy of Peter Pan, if anything just to have something to do besides awkwardly standing there.

Fred came into the room, tossing the clothes he had been wearing earlier onto the back of the desk chair. He looked at Scarlett. "Are you tired?"

She shrugged. "A little…I can go make myself comfortable on the couch if you have any extra blankets and sheets."

"I'm not going to make you sleep on the couch," Fred said. He climbed into his bed before scooting further under the covers and propping himself up on his elbows. "What's wrong with here? There's plenty of room." He gestured to the spot next to him with a tilt of his head.

Scarlett hesitated. "I just—it's—,"

"Scarlett, this isn't a big deal. We can stay on completely opposite sides of the bed. We're not even going to be touching. Think of it as practice for when we get married because this is how it's going to be, isn't it?"

"We could have separate beds." Scarlett shrugged one shoulder as she set the book in her hands beside her on the window seat.

Fred snorted. "What's the point of that?"

"Won't it be weird?"

"It'll only be weird if we make it weird. Besides, we used to fall asleep on the couch in the Burrow together all the time when we were younger."

"That's different."

"Not really. Anyway, if anything, I'm the one who should sleep on the couch tonight. You're a guest here."

"I can't let you do that. You live here. You shouldn't have to be kicked out of your own bed."

Fred smirked. "Then it seems we're out of luck if we both won't let the other sleep on the couch. That leaves us with one option." He patted the spot next to him.

Scarlett scowled at him before flinging back the covers and climbing into the bed. "Sometimes you really annoy me," she muttered, getting comfortable on her side, facing away from Fred.

"The feeling is mutual," Fred teased.

Scarlett turned her head just enough to stick her tongue out at him.

"Haven't we grown past the age of sticking our tongues out?" Fred asked with a grin.

"Speak for yourself," Scarlett mumbled, pulling the covers up to her chin.

Fred laughed and reached over to turn off the lamp. "Goodnight, Scar."

"Goodnight, Fred."

The room was thrown into silence. Scarlett kept her eyes open and stared at the window. "Fred?" she finally whispered.

"Hm?" he answered quietly.

"Thank you for being so nice to me."

"I wouldn't dream of being anything but nice to you, Scar. You're one of my best friends."

Scarlett rolled over and faced him. "Don't you mean I _was_ one of your best friends?"

"No," Fred whispered, turning onto his side and looking at her. "You still are."

"How can you say that?"

"I realized that even though we didn't speak for years, I still feel really close to you. Is that weird?"

Scarlett didn't answer right away. "No, I feel the same about you. I mean, we're older and a little different now, but at the same time, things are still the same."

Fred nodded. "Exactly."

They were quiet for another moment before Scarlett smiled. "Well…goodnight then."

"Goodnight," Fred answered quietly.

Scarlett rolled over again and faced the window, closing her eyes and drifting off into sleep, praying her nightmares stayed away tonight.

* * *

**A/N: So I really like this chapter a lot mostly because it's kind of a big one for Fred and Scarlett, even though they aren't together yet. On that note, the Scarlett/Justin breakup will be happening somewhere in the next two chapters, but I'm still working things out so that it can happen as soon as possible. That being said, the next chapter might have to be a bit longer than my usual chapters just to move things along, which I'm sure won't be too much of an issue because I know how anxious everyone is, and trust me, I am too!**

**Thanks for all of the feedback!**


	37. Chapter 37

"_You've got troubles, I've got 'em, too. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you."_

**-Toy Story**

* * *

"Scarlett…Scarlett, wake up!"

Scarlett's eyes snapped open and she immediately began taking in her surroundings. She was in Fred's flat, sitting up in his bed and she had just had a nightmare. That much she knew for sure. The next thing she became aware of was that Fred had his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder and tried to calm down. She was trembling from head to toe and gasping for air. Her ears were ringing with the sound of her own screams.

"You're okay, you're alright," Fred whispered, rocking her back and forth. "It was only a nightmare."

"What's going on?" George had flung open the door and turned on the light. "I heard screaming."

"She had a nightmare," Fred said. From his tone, Scarlett knew he was scared. He clearly hadn't expected her nightmares to be this bad.

George came over and sat down on the edge of the bed, putting a hand on Scarlett's knee. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Do you need anything? A glass of water, maybe?"

Scarlett managed to nod her head.

"Okay, I'll be right back." George got up and left the room, sharing a look with Fred that Scarlett knew to mean he was shaken up by her reaction to the nightmare as well.

"You're still shaking so badly," Fred whispered once George was gone. "You were screaming terribly as well."

Scarlett didn't answer. Instead, she closed her eyes and sighed. The last thing she wanted was to make a fool out of herself in front of Fred. She didn't want to make a fool out of herself in front of _anyone_, but especially Fred.

"You even woke Binky up," Fred continued, "and pygmy puffs can usually sleep through anything."

For the first time, Scarlett noticed the frantic little squeaks coming from the nightstand. Glancing over, she saw Binky trying to jump over the gap between the nightstand and the bed, but stopping short at the last minute.

"I think he's afraid of heights or something," Fred said. "He always has trouble jumping over gaps. Not that it matters if he fell. He'd just bounce right off the ground." Removing one arm from around Scarlett, he leaned over and scooped Binky up off the nightstand before depositing him on the bed.

Almost immediately, Binky scurried into Scarlett's lap, crawled up her arm, perched on her shoulder, and nuzzled into her neck.

"Look at that," Fred said, shifting Scarlett's thick hair off of her shoulder. "He wants to make sure you're alright." Scarlett could tell from his voice that he was smiling slightly. After a second, he continued again, his voice low. "You are okay, aren't you?"

"Yeah," she whispered hoarsely, speaking for the first time since she had woken up. She reached up and gently stroked Binky's fur. "Calm down, Binks," she said. "There's no reason to get yourself all worked up. I'm fine."

George returned with a glass of water just then and Scarlett took it, her hand still shaking, but only slightly. Fred let go of her, but kept one hand on her lower back, comfortingly rubbing circles into it.

"Are you sure you're alright?" George asked, frowning slightly with concern.

Scarlett nodded as she lowered the glass and held it in her lap, tracing the edge of the rim with her finger. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm used to these nightmares."

"How could you ever stand it when you were little? How can you stand it now?" Fred asked. "The way you were screaming…it was as if you were being tortured or something."

"In a way I suppose I was," Scarlett shrugged, keeping her eyes downcast. She couldn't even bring herself to look at the twins. She felt embarrassed when she knew she shouldn't. She had been so close to them at one point, so much so that she could tell them anything. And she was finding that she could still talk to them about anything and everything—especially Fred. They had just discussed that subject before going to bed. All the same, knowing they had seen her at one of her weakest points made her uncomfortable. Clearly, things still weren't completely the same between them.

"I mean, from what you said earlier," Fred continued, "I figured the nightmares were pretty bad—it is why I insisted you stay over after all—but I didn't know they were this bad."

Scarlett kept quiet. She wasn't sure if she wanted to voice her feelings just yet—or even at all.

"Do you want to talk about it?" George asked.

Scarlett hesitated. "No, I'd rather not." She glanced at Fred. "I'm sure you can figure out the general idea of it anyway."

"How long do you think the nightmares will go on this time?" Fred asked.

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't know. I'm sure it won't be very long. Tonight may very well be the only night. Maybe I got it out of my system. I mean, what influenced the nightmare tonight is upsetting me, but it's nothing compared to when my dad died so I doubt the nightmares will last as long this time."

"What _is_ influencing them this time?" George asked. "If you don't mind my asking, of course."

Scarlett sighed. "Fred can tell you later." She glanced up at George and managed a small smile. "Sorry, it's just that I don't feel like recounting the story all over again."

"I get it," George said, nodding. "I completely understand."

"Do you think you'll be able to get back to sleep tonight?" Fred asked.

"I should be able to," Scarlett replied, shrugging nonchalantly as she tried to make her nightmares seem like they weren't a big deal.

"Alright, well, I think you should do that, then," George said, standing up. "I think you need some rest after all that exercise you just gave your lungs."

A smile flickered across Scarlett's face. "You're right, I'm exhausted," she said.

George smiled. "Everything will be okay, Scar."

"You haven't even heard the full story yet," she said, looking up at him.

"I know, but I'm just trying to make you feel better."

"Thanks, George. I appreciate it. I really do."

George sent her one last smile before leaving the room and closing the door quietly. Fred took Scarlett's empty water glass and set it on the nightstand before readjusting his pillow and scooting back against the headboard. "Come here," he said, gesturing for Scarlett to move next to him.

Scarlett hesitated before moving to sit where he had indicated. She rested her head on his shoulder as he put an arm around her. Binky scurried down Scarlett's arm and made himself comfortable in the crook of her elbow, snuggling against her stomach.

"You're doing this as a friend, right?" Scarlett asked before she could really stop herself.

"Doing what?" Fred asked.

"Comforting me."

"I'm doing it because I care about you. Besides, you were there for me when I needed someone so I'm going to do the same for you."

"Yeah, but you care for me as-,"

"Shh," Fred whispered. "Stop worrying and stop analyzing every little detail."

"I can't help it," Scarlett whispered.

"Worrying too much never did anyone any good," Fred said. When Scarlett didn't answer, he continued. "Want me to tell you a story?"

"You're offering to tell me one?" Scarlett asked. "That's a pleasant surprise."

"Isn't it?" Fred asked with a smile.

"I'd love to hear a story," Scarlett sighed, closing her eyes.

"Which one?"

"Anything. You choose."

"Okay, well….All children, except one, grow up…."

"You aren't sick of this story yet?" Scarlett asked with a laugh as she raised her head to look at him.

"No," Fred answered. He hesitated. "Are you?"

"Never," Scarlett replied, resting her head on his shoulder again.

"Good," Fred answered. "I only hope I can do it justice when I tell it."

"Well, give it a go and then I'll tell you how you did."

Fred laughed. "Alright, well, here goes…."

* * *

Scarlett woke up the next morning to something tugging at her earlobe. She slowly opened her eyes and turned her head. Binky was sitting on the pillow, right next to her head, squeaking happily.

"What time is it?" Scarlett mumbled, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. "Eight thirty," she sighed. She glanced at Binky. "I'm guessing you're a morning person…or pygmy puff, I should say."

Binky squeaked in response.

Scarlett sat up and rubbed her eyes. "How can you be this cheerful right now? Especially considering I ruined everyone's sleep schedule last night." She yawned and looked around. It was then that she realized Fred wasn't next to her anymore. She then realized it made sense considering the shop was open on Saturdays and Fred had to work.

Scarlett placed Binky on the nightstand and got out of bed. She stood there for a moment with her hands on her hips and biting her lip before coming to a decision and making the bed. Then, she looked down at what she was wearing. She didn't want to go down to the shop wearing Fred's clothes, and she didn't want to put her dress back on either.

"It seems I have a predicament," she sighed, looking at Binky and blowing a puff of air out of her mouth.

Binky squeaked a few times and nudged Scarlett's wand, lying next to him on the nightstand.

"What are you getting at?" Scarlett asked, tilting her head in confusion. Binky nudged her wand a few more times before Scarlett understood. "You're so smart," she cooed, scratching Binky's tiny ears. She picked up her wand and transfigured the pajama pants into jeans and simply shrunk the t-shirt to fit her better. As for her hair, she threw it in a ponytail before heading for the door. Binky squeaked frantically from behind her.

Scarlett turned and smiled. "Alright, come on." She walked back to the nightstand and picked Binky up, placing him on her shoulder.

She left the room and walked through the silent flat to the door that led to the shop's back room. Pulling it open, she tiptoed down the stairs and peered around the corner. Fred was standing on the far side of the room with his back to her, taking small bottles out of a box and putting them on the shelf.

Scarlett bit her lip, trying to figure out the best way to let Fred know she was there. Binky, however, took it upon himself to squeak in excitement, causing Fred to jump slightly and whirl around.

"Hey," he said with a grin, noticing Scarlett.

"Hi." Scarlett smiled shyly and stepped completely into the room.

"Did you sleep well?" Fred asked. He paused and cleared his throat nervously. "After you fell asleep again, I mean."

Scarlett nodded. "What about you? I know you couldn't have slept as well as you could, though….I mean, I did wake you and George up in the middle of the night. You must be exhausted."

"We were only up for a little while. It wasn't a big deal."

"Yeah, but-,"

"Scar, it's really not a big deal," Fred said with a smile. "Don't worry about it. Really."

Scarlett chewed on her lip again. "Need some help?" she finally asked.

"Sure," Fred replied.

Scarlett crossed the room and knelt down beside the box. Binky scurried down from her shoulder and began happily moving around the room, sniffing at everything as Scarlett began passing some of the bottles to Fred. She kept silent as she did so, thinking about the best way to tell him how terrible she felt about being such an annoyance.

"I'm sorry," she finally blurted out.

"For what?" Fred asked, glancing down at her.

Scarlett didn't answer him and she couldn't look at him either. Instead, she looked down at the bottle she was holding and turned it over repeatedly in her hand.

Fred crouched down in front of her and put his hand over hers. "Scar," he sighed. "Please tell me what's bothering you. Is it the nightmare you had?"

"No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

She didn't answer for a moment. "I'm embarrassed," she finally whispered. "I didn't want you to witness one of my nightmares. It's part of the reason why I didn't want to stay the night. But I was scared of them coming back and didn't know what to do and you were so insistent, I—"

"Scar," Fred interrupted, grabbing her shoulders. "Stop for a minute."

"I just—I didn't want—," she stopped talking, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "The nightmares aren't pretty. I act totally messed up and it's when I'm at my weakest."

"Scar?" Fred said gently.

"Yeah?" She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"If we're going to make this vow thing work even a little bit, don't you think we need to let each other see our weaknesses? Don't you think we need to see each other at our lowest? We never hid our fears from each other when we were little."

"Things are different now, Fred. They're darker and more complicated."

"Exactly. It's why we need to do it all over again."

Scarlett took in a shaky breath before managing a small smile. "When did you become so insightful and wise?"

"The day I was born, of course."

Scarlett half-smiled again. "You know, it's not often I see you like this. I like it."

"See me like what?" Fred asked.

"So…serious. You usually try to make people feel better by joking and making them laugh. Not that I don't like it when you do that, but it's nice to see your serious side sometimes."

Fred smiled and let out a quiet laugh of his own. "So you're okay?"

"Of course," Scarlett replied. "I'm completely fine."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah…I mean, this is still difficult for me. I do appreciate you letting me stay over, but I'm so used to dealing with the nightmares on my own."

Fred smiled again. "I know it'll sound a bit cliché, but you really don't have to do anything alone."

"Thanks," Scarlett said, letting out a breath of laughter.

They stared at each other for a moment longer before Fred tilted his head and looked at her questioningly. "Did you transfigure my shirt to fit you better?"

Scarlett blushed and nodded as she fiddled with the bottle in her hands again. "I transfigured the pants into jeans, too. I just—I didn't think—it seemed weird coming down here in your pajamas. I hope it's okay. I can transfigure them back once I get home and return them to you as soon as possible."

Fred chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Take your time."

Scarlett nodded. "Thanks, Fred, really…for everything."

"You're welcome for everything," Fred replied with a grin.

Scarlett returned the smile somewhat nervously before passing the bottle in her hand to Fred. He took it and stood up to put it back up on the shelf.

"You know," Scarlett said slowly, taking the last few bottles out of the box and standing up with them in her arms, "something occurred to me last night while I was sitting on the bench waiting for you to come outside. It's something I forgot to mention to you the first time I was here."

"Yeah? What's that?" Fred asked, glancing at her as he took the remaining bottles from her hands.

"You-No-Poo," Scarlett answered.

Fred grinned. "Brilliant, isn't it? George and I are quite proud of that one."

"Yes, but I just meant…well, please don't tell me that Justin inspired that," she smirked.

"What are you talking about?" Fred asked, now looking confused.

"Remember when we were in the DA and first learning how to make a Patronus? When Justin first tried, you told me he looked constipated. I just thought…I thought you were poking fun at him again.

Fred started to laugh. "I did say that, didn't I? I forgot, actually. You-No-Poo has nothing to do with Justin."

Scarlett let out a tiny sigh of relief. "Good. Because if it did…."

"What would you do?" Fred asked, smirking as he looked down at her. "Beat me up?"

"Yeah, maybe I would have," Scarlett answered, staring up at him and smirking back. She tilted her head to the side. "I could take you. No problem."

"You sure about that?" Fred asked. "You're about a foot shorter than me."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You're smaller than I am," Fred smirked. "I don't think you'd be able to beat me up."

"You're just too bigheaded to see that I could," Scarlett retaliated, crossing her arms and staring at him unblinkingly.

"Oh yeah?" Fred asked, continuing to smirk.

"Mm," Scarlett nodded, smiling.

Before Fred could reply, the curtain in the doorway was suddenly thrown back, causing Scarlett and Fred to hurriedly take a few steps away from each other.

"Fred! I came to surprise—oh, Scarlett. Hi." Angelina stood in the doorway, staring confusedly at Fred and Scarlett as they looked back at her.

"Hey, Angelina," Scarlett said, managing a smile. "I was just helping Fred out back here. I came over to say hi and then I end up helping him."

"You aren't working today?" Angelina asked. "I heard you got a job at St. Mungo's. Congratulations, by the way."

"Thanks, and no, I had this weekend off. How are tryouts going for all of those Quidditch teams?"

"Fine. I'm done with tryouts and I should be hearing back within the next week or so and then I'll have to decide which team I want to play for. I'm hoping Puddlemere United will want me. They're a really great team and they've had an impressive past few seasons. Besides, that's where Wood is and it'll be good to play with him again."

"I'm sure they'll ask you to be on their team. You're a great player," Scarlett said, managing another smile.

"Thanks," Angelina replied. "I tried out for Ireland as well. I'm guessing that's your favorite team." She pointed to the shirt Scarlett was wearing.

"I, uh, yeah…yeah they are!" Scarlett said, quickly glancing down at the shirt and turning a light shade of pink.

Angelina looked at Fred. "Don't you have that same shirt?"

Scarlett blushed even more as Fred cleared his throat. "Er, yeah, I do."

After a pause that felt entirely too long, Scarlett turned to Fred. "I should get going now," she said. "I'm sure you're anxious to spend time with Angelina."

Fred nodded. "Okay," he answered quietly. "I'll, uh," he cleared his throat again and half-smiled, "I'll see you around."

"Yeah," Scarlett replied, "sure." With that, she squeezed past Angelina and headed through the shop to the front door as fast as she could.

Once she was outside, she took a deep breath and leaned against the wall of the shop, closing her eyes. That had been incredibly awkward. After a few seconds, she Apparated back to her flat and unlocked the front door. Erica wasn't back yet and the flat was quiet, which Scarlett was thankful for.

Sighing, she sunk down onto the couch and buried her head in her hands. She felt as if Angelina had caught her doing something terrible. If she had stopped by earlier that morning or sometime during the night before, things surely would have _seemed_ terrible. Scarlett was glad the timing had worked out the way it had. The last thing she wanted was to give Angelina another reason to hate her, because that was certainly going to happen once she found out about the vow. If she thought Fred was cheating on her with Scarlett, it would only make the vow news that much more unbelievable and crazy when she heard it.

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Scarlett's head snapped up. Who could that possibly be? It couldn't be Fred. If it was him, then Scarlett would be incredibly surprised. Although, not as surprised as she was when she opened the door and saw Justin's mother standing on the top step.

"Mrs. Finch-Fletchley?" Scarlett asked.

"Hello, Scarlett. I was hoping you'd be home." Mrs. Finch-Fletchley smiled at her warmly, but her smile held a hint of nervousness.

"Oh, well, yeah, I'm here," Scarlett said brightly, despite the fact that she was still thoroughly confused.

"I know coming here was very much on a whim, but, well…." Mrs. Finch-Fletchley smiled nervously again. "I felt so badly about how I treated you last night that I thought today could be the day I take you out shopping!"

"Oh, no, you have no reason to feel badly!" Scarlett said quickly. "It's me that should be apologizing to you!"

"Rubbish!" Mrs. Finch-Fletchley laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "You did nothing wrong! How about we put last night behind us and forget all about it?"

"Er, yeah, alright," Scarlett said, unsure of what more to say.

"So, are you free today?" Mrs. Finch-Fletchley asked cheerfully.

"Yeah," Scarlett said slowly.

"Shopping?" Mrs. Finch-Fletchley's voice was hopeful.

Scarlett sighed. "Okay, I'll go. But," she bit her lip as she realized a sudden dilemma, "I don't have any Muggle money."

"Nonsense!" Mrs. Finch-Fletchley laughed and waved her hand again. "I'll take care of everything!"

"I really can't let you do that," Scarlett said, shaking her head.

"Scarlett, dear, if I didn't want to do this, I wouldn't be offering."

"That's not what I-,"

"Dear, don't worry about a thing. You deserve this! And like I told you last night, it can be frustrating being the only girl in my family! Now, come on, the car is waiting!"

"The car?" Scarlett's eyes widened as Mrs. Finch-Fletchley dragged her towards the shiny black car waiting outside. Scarlett barely had time to close her front door. The only things keeping her from protesting further were, firstly, that she was still trying to process what was happening, and secondly, Mrs. Finch-Fletchley looked so excited to be doing this.

Sighing, Scarlett followed Mrs. Finch-Fletchey, deciding the best thing to do would simply be to not protest, no matter how uncomfortable the day was going to be.

* * *

With an exhausted smile on her face, Scarlett waved at Mrs. Finch-Fletchley's car as it drove away before sighing and digging out the key to her flat. "Erica?" she called as she opened the door, knowing her friend must be home by now.

"Scarlett?" Erica stuck her head out of her bedroom door.

"Hey," Scarlett said, dumping her bags on the couch and staring at them.

"Where were you?" Erica asked, coming down the hallway. "I got home a few hours ago and I've been wondering where you've been. I want to hear all about meeting Justin's-," she stopped short at the end of the hallway as her eyes found the shopping bags. "What are those?"

"Er," Scarlett said, chewing on a fingernail. "Mrs. Finch-Fletchley took me out shopping today."

Erica raised her eyebrows. "Looks like you two hit it off." She walked over to the couch and peered into one of the bags. "Let me rephrase that," she said, raising her eyebrows again, "it looks like you two _really_ hit it off. I'm guessing dinner went well."

Scarlett sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I actually don't know if it went well or not. It's a long story."

Erica studied her for a moment before smiling slightly. "Come on. I'm just about done unpacking. You can tell me as I finish."

Scarlett nodded and followed her friend down the hallway, the idea of re-telling everything that had happened making her feel even more exhausted than she already was.

* * *

Scarlett closed the door to her flat with a sigh and tossed the key and her wand onto the couch. After telling Erica the entire story from beginning to end, Erica had advised going to see her mother right away so that Scarlett could get the truth about what she thought happened.

All in all, the weekend had felt entirely too long and Scarlett was eager to get back home, curl up on her bed, and not think about anything for a little while.

Suddenly, Scarlett heard low voices coming from the kitchen. She had been so absorbed in thinking over the discussion she had had with her mother that she hadn't noticed until now. One voice was most definitely Erica's. It had to be. The other voice was too low for Scarlett to make it out.

"Erica?" she asked, making her way towards the kitchen. When she got there, she froze in the doorway. Erica was sitting at the kitchen table with none other than Fred.

"Scarlett, you're back," Erica said with a smile. "Fred stopped by. He actually only got here not too long ago."

"Oh," Scarlett managed to breathe out. "Hi, Fred."

"Hi," he said, giving her a tiny smile and wave.

"What are you doing here?"

"You left your dress at my place," Fred said, "so I thought I should return it."

Scarlett's eyes widened. "You're right! I did forget it! I'm so sorry! I hope Angelina didn't see it!"

Fred chuckled. "Scarlett, relax. She didn't stay very long. She only stayed through our lunch break so that we could eat together. Really, no harm done."

"I put the dress on your bed," Erica said.

Scarlett nodded. "So," she said slowly, "just out of curiosity Fred, what are you still doing here?"

"I told him you were at your mother's and would be back soon if he wanted to stay and have tea," Erica said.

"Which I did," Fred added, smiling. "Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all," Scarlett replied. She plopped down at the table. "I just hope Erica was nice to you and didn't force you into staying."

"Why would you think I would force him to stay?" Erica asked, pretending to be offended. "Fred, tell her I didn't force you."

"Well," Fred said slowly. Erica gave him a look and he laughed. "No, she didn't force me, but I think only because she didn't have to. I had no problem with hanging around a little longer until you got back. Otherwise, though, I think she would have tied me to the chair."

"That doesn't surprise me," Scarlett said with a small smile as Erica rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Did you eat at your mother's?" she asked.

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah," she sighed, "and we talked."

"Did you ask her?" Erica looked at Scarlett with an expression of curiosity mixed with nervousness. "You know...about what you needed to find out?"

Scarlett nodded again. "Yeah, I did."

"What did she say?" Fred asked quietly, slowly spinning the mug of tea in his hands.

"Well," Scarlett began, blowing a puff of air out of her mouth, "she was shocked at first, and it obviously concerned her as well. As it turns out, she didn't know much about the other people involved either, but she did say that the two cars kind of hit each other. It wasn't one hitting the other first like I originally thought. Anyway, she also said that she was expecting to have to pay some of the other family's medical bills, but she never had to, which is why she never came into contact with the other family. And Justin said that his mother never wanted to see the other family. She couldn't bear it. So she took care of the medical bills herself. And there was no legal trouble because my dad didn't survive."

"I still don't think that proves anything," Erica said, leaning back in her chair.

"What more proof do you need?" Scarlett asked in disbelief.

"Actual names," Erica shrugged.

"Yeah, those would be great, but we don't have any," Scarlett retaliated, "and like I said, we can't really get them. I know it's weird neither family got the names of the other, but I think Mrs. Finch-Fletchley really saw to that and that's where everything fits. I think we can safely assume it was them."

"No, we can't," Erica said. "We can't prove it."

"But it makes sense. If Justin's parents hadn't paid the medical bills and if they hadn't been too upset and distraught to even look the other family in the eye, then the two families would have met. They would have at least known each other's names. Maybe we can't be one hundred percent sure, but I'd say we can be ninety five percent sure."

"What are you going to do?" Fred whispered.

Scarlett shrugged. "Break up with Justin. I'd have to do it anyway. So I'm going to just tell him everything."

"What would you have done if there wasn't a vow?" Fred asked.

"I would have told him anyway and then we could have decided together where to go from there, but either way, I'd feel better if he knew what I think happened. I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to break up anyway."

Fred snorted. "I'd be surprised. It'd be dumb to break up with you over something that, firstly, you're not completely sure happened, and secondly, something that you had no control over. If Justin agrees with this breakup than he's not worth it anyway."

Scarlett looked up and smiled briefly. "I appreciate that, but I think he'll agree with it. Don't forget, I'm also telling him about the vow."

"Again, something you had no control over," Fred shrugged.

"But the breakup has to happen and Justin doesn't exactly like you and he won't like that I lied all this time. All I'm saying is that the vow news will make him want to break up with me for sure."

"And what _I'm_ saying is that he shouldn't be _angry_ with you about it," Fred argued.

"Maybe he should be. I did hide a pretty big secret from him for a long time."

"Yeah, well, that was your decision."

"I know. I didn't say it wasn't. And it's not like you haven't done the same."

Fred sighed and leaned back in his chair. He looked at Erica. "You've been awfully quiet. What's your opinion?"

"Firstly, I've been quiet because I couldn't get a word in the way you two were going at it. Secondly, I think it's good Scarlett's breaking up with Justin and I think he will be hurt, but Fred, I think you have a point as well. Justin should at least _try_ to be understanding and not hold the vow against Scarlett. I do think he will be mad initially, though. I mean, can we really blame him?"

"No, we can't," Scarlett said. "I'd react pretty badly if it were me in his position."

"Agreed," Fred sighed.

Scarlett let out a puff of air and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "I'm just going to do it next Friday. Maybe the two of us can go to the Leaky Cauldron and I'll tell him there. Maybe since we'll be in a public place, he'll be able to tone down his reaction a bit."

Fred laughed. "You're almost as devious as me and George."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Great."

"If it makes you feel any better," Fred added, "I like it."

Scarlett glanced up at him. "You shouldn't. I'm not sure it's a good thing."

"Why not?"

"I'm not sure breaking the news to Justin in public to simply lessen the intensity of his reaction is very nice. In fact, I'm positive it's not very nice."

"This is the Finch we're talking about here."

Scarlett shot Fred a look. "I'll have you know that Justin's been nothing but nice to me ever since I met him. Just because you don't like him for some reason doesn't mean that _you_ can't be nice to _him_."

Fred stared at her for a moment, his expression unreadable. "Fine, I'll keep my mouth shut."

Scarlett narrowed her eyes. "No you won't."

Fred smiled. "You're right. I won't."

Scarlett chose to roll her eyes this time. "Tell me why you don't like him."

Fred shook his head. "No."

Scarlett stared at him, trying to decide what to say next. "This isn't easy for me," she finally said, her voice quiet. "And joking about everything only goes so far. At least for me it does. In the long run, there's a lot for me to deal with. And I'm not sure I'm as good at it as you are. Dealing with things, I mean."

Fred raised his eyebrows. "Scar, I'm not trying to make things harder for you and there's a lot for me to deal with as well. I just—it's easier if I—"

"Spit it out," Erica piped up, smirking at Fred.

Fred shot her an exasperated look.

"Erica," Scarlett sighed.

"Okay, I get it. I'm not helping. I'll just leave you two alone, then. It's not as if Scarlett won't end up telling me everything you say anyway."

"_Erica_," Scarlett groaned as her friend stood up, deposited her empty mug in the sink and smirked before leaving the room.

After a few seconds of silence, Fred spoke again. "What I was trying to say was that this isn't easy for me either."

"But you're handling everything better than I am."

"Because I'm not _constantly_ worrying about it and talking about it. It's how I am. I'd rather joke about it than talk seriously."

Scarlett snorted. "I wish I could do that."

Fred smiled. "It's a gift." There was a pause. "If I'm being honest, though, you _could_ do it if you wanted."

Scarlett shrugged one shoulder. "So if you're not all that worried, do you even _care_ about Angelina's feelings on all of this?" she asked.

Fred sighed. "You don't get it, do you? I joke about all of this and act like I'm not bothered, but that doesn't mean I don't care. It's like you with your dad. You said you didn't like to talk about the accident, but that doesn't mean you didn't care."

"That's different," Scarlett whispered.

"Is it?" Fred asked. When Scarlett didn't answer, he leaned over and put his hand on top of hers. I didn't say that to upset you. I said it because I want you to understand that I do care even if it seems like I don't show it."

Scarlett nodded. "I still think I'm more worried than you, though."

Fred smiled again. "Yeah, most likely," he laughed.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. "How are you really feeling about breaking up with Angelina?" Scarlett asked. "I just want you to be honest. No jokes this time."

Fred sighed and leaned back in his chair, removing his hand from Scarlett's in the process. "Honestly, I'm not too worried."

"But I thought you just said—"

"I said I _cared_. I'm not worried about actually breaking up with Angelina because it has to be done and it's inevitable. It's out of my control, so why worry? As for how she'll react, well, I'm sure she'll be upset, but I know her well enough to know she won't be mad forever. She'll get over it. We've been friends for too long to let anything completely ruin our friendship. However, like I mentioned before, she's going to be busy and so will I. I'm not sure we'll be able to see much of each other after she's playing Quidditch and for a while after I tell her the truth, she might not even want to talk to me, but I know we'll be okay in the end even if we aren't always as close or even still in constant contact."

"I think that'll be what ultimately happens with Justin as well. I'm sure he'll get over it, but we'll end up going our separate ways."

"So don't worry about everything so much. Like I said, it's out of our control."

Scarlett nodded. "You do have a point."

Fred grinned. "I know I do," he said as he stood up and stretched. "Anyway, I really should get going."

Scarlett nodded. "Oh, hold on just a minute. I have your, er, your clothes," Scarlett said with a slight blush. "I'll go get them."

Hurrying down the hallway, Scarlett grabbed the clothes before making her way back to Fred who was standing by the door.

"There really wasn't any rush to get these back," he said, taking them.

Scarlett shrugged. "I know, but I figured I had them and you're here so why not, right?"

Fred nodded. "Are you, er, going to be okay tonight?"

"Fred, I'll be fine," Scarlett insisted. "You don't have to feel obligated to take care of me just because we're getting married or because of what I told you last night."

"I don't feel obligated," Fred shrugged.

Scarlett smiled. "I appreciate it. I appreciate _everything_ you've done for me. Really, I do."

Fred nodded again. "Okay, so, I probably should get going now. Let me know if you need anything."

Scarlett smiled and rolled her eyes as she opened the door so that Fred could leave. "Okay, okay," she sighed.

"I'm serious," Fred said, walking outside and turning around.

"I know you are," Scarlett replied quietly. "And thank you."

Fred smiled. "Anytime, Scar."

* * *

**A/N: So this chapter is a little longer than usual. I try to keep chapters between 3,000 and 4,000 words, sometimes 5,000 but this one reached 6,000 words. But on the plus side, the break up's going to happen a chapter or two earlier than I originally planned, which is exciting!**

**Thanks for all of the awesome feedback!**


	38. Chapter 38

"_How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."_

**-Winnie the Pooh**

* * *

Scarlett sat at a table in the corner of the Leaky Cauldron, nervously playing with the locket Justin had given her. Today was the day she was going to tell him the truth and she wasn't going to find any more excuses to put it off.

"Hey, you seem to be pretty lost in thought."

Scarlett looked up to see Justin standing beside the table, grinning.

"Hey, yeah, I was thinking pretty hard, I guess," Scarlett replied as Justin leaned down and gave her a kiss before taking a seat across from her.

"About me I hope," he teased.

"Actually, I was," Scarlett said, managing a tiny smile.

"Yeah?" Justin asked.

"Look, Justin, I wanted to—"

Scarlett was interrupted by a waitress coming by to take their drink orders.

"Butterbeer," Justin said. He looked at Scarlett. "What about you?"

"The same," she said, glancing at the waitress, who nodded and walked away.

"So," Justin began with a grin, clearly having forgotten Scarlett had been about to say something a moment ago. "How's work? Are you officially the best Healer St. Mungo's has ever had?"

Scarlett blushed and snorted. "Hardly."

"I beg to differ."

"Oh, please," Scarlett said, blushing even more.

"And what about shopping with my mother? How did that go?"

Scarlett shrugged. "Fine. I mean, she bought me some really nice things and it really was so incredibly generous. You'll have to thank her again for me."

"You can thank her yourself," Justin said as their drinks were brought over, "because I was thinking we could—"

"Justin, wait," Scarlett interrupted. She took a deep breath. "There's something I have to tell you."

"What is it?" he asked, his expression immediately changing to one of concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes…well, no, not exactly," Scarlett sighed.

"Scar, what is it?" Justin asked gently. "If you need me to do anything—"

"No, it's just that…I haven't been all that truthful with you."

Justin was quiet for a few seconds. "Okay," he finally replied slowly.

"Firstly," Scarlett began as her heart hammered in her chest. "I think you should know some things about the accident I was in with my dad."

Confusion flickered across Justin's face. "Okay," he said again, "only if you want to tell me, though."

Scarlett nodded. "It has to do with what I need to tell you and besides, I think you really need to know." She took another deep breath. "I was in the accident when I was nine years old. On January 12th, to be exact. The accident happened across from Kensington Gardens." She looked down at her hands, unable to look at Justin anymore. "My dad fell asleep and drove through a stoplight and that's when the accident happened. My mother never told me anything about the other car involved. She doesn't know much herself because the other family took care of the medical bills and the two families never had to meet."

Her story was met with complete and total silence. Scarlett risked glancing up at Justin and when she did, he was staring back at her, wide eyed and pale.

"So," he whispered, "so you think…you think your dad—"

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but I'm just telling you what I know."

"Did you put all this together last weekend? Is that why you were acting so odd and in such a hurry to leave?"

Scarlett nodded. "I was terrified of what you told me might mean, but I didn't want to say anything to you right away just in case I was wrong. I went to talk to my mother the next day after I went shopping with your mother. She told me the little she knew about the other car involved which kind of confirmed things. I mean, technically, no, it doesn't confirm things for sure, but I think it all fits and I'm so, so sorry."

"But we really don't know for sure," Justin said shakily. "No matter how much sense it makes."

"No, you're right, but it _does_ all fit."

"It's a coincidence."

"But what if it's not?"

Justin took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. He looked confused and upset.

"Justin," Scarlett whispered, "I really am so sorry. I can't even put into words how sorry I am."

"It's not your fault," Justin whispered, staring at a point just over Scarlett's head as he processed the information. "It's just that…I never knew anything about the other car involved either. For so long I knew nothing and I was okay with not knowing. I didn't want to know. And now I'm not only finding out who it was, but that it was my girlfriend and her dad. I just don't know what to feel."

"Angry? Upset? It's understandable if that's what you feel and I wouldn't blame you."

"But that's just it. I am angry and upset, but at the same time I'm not. I can't blame you or your father for what happened and I can't be angry at either of you."

"You should blame us. You were blaming the mystery family for years, and again, it's understandable that you would."

Justin swallowed and closed his eyes. "It's just a lot to think about."

Scarlett's stomach twisted unpleasantly as her next words poured out of her mouth. "I think we should just break up."

Justin's eyes snapped open. "What? Scar, I'm not about to break up with you over this. I just need to process it all."

Scarlett sighed. "There's more that I haven't told you."

"More?" Justin asked quietly.

"It's not related to the accident at all," Scarlett said.

"Okay," Justin replied after a moment. "Tell me."

Scarlett looked down again and began tracing the rim of her butterbeer glass with her finger. "Well, something else really crazy happened when I was nine."

"What was it?" Justin asked, almost bracingly.

"Well, uh, you know I was good friends with Fred back then, right?"

Justin stared at her. "Yeah," he said curtly. "Why, did he do something to you? If he did, I might actually punch him."

"No," Scarlett said quickly.

"What happened, then?" Justin asked.

Knowing she had to get to the point, Scarlett explained the rest as quickly as she could, the words practically tumbling out of her mouth. "One Christmas I was over at Fred's house. His older brother, Charlie, wanted to practice advanced magic, so he borrowed Bill's textbooks and he decided to use me and Fred to practice on. Fred and I made an Unbreakabale Vow. Then Bill found out and erased our memories so we didn't know what happened until recently, but Fred and I, well, we have to…get married." The last two words came out in a whisper and Scarlett practically winced as she waited for Justin's reaction. She glanced up to see him blinking at her, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Justin, please say something," she whispered.

"How long have you known?" he finally managed to ask, his voice low.

"Since August," Scarlett answered, biting her lip and looking down again. "Fred and I have to get married by my twentieth birthday and no later," she added.

"Eleven months," Justin said, ignoring the last bit of Scarlett's answer. "You knew for eleven whole months and didn't tell me."

"I feel terribly about it. I really do. It was wrong of me and I don't deserve you or any of the nice things you or your mother did for me. I let it go too far, which is why I think I should give you these things back." She reached down into her bag and took out a box before sliding it across the table to Justin. "The bracelet and the earrings are in there." Lastly, she removed the locket and set it on top of the box. "This too," she sighed, staring longingly at it. It was her favorite piece of jewelry that Justin had given her. "I took the pictures out. Oh, and one more thing." She reached into her bag again and pulled out an envelope. "It's money to cover what your mother paid when she took me shopping. It's my entire first paycheck from St. Mungo's and some of my savings. I would have given back the actual clothes, but I thought the money would be better."

"Keep the clothes," Justin said, his voice distant as he slowly took the envelope. "Eleven months," he said quietly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how!"

"Oh, please, Scar," Justin scoffed, leaning back in his seat. "Why didn't you say something _before _I asked you out instead of letting me make a fool of myself?"

"I really liked you! I _still_ really like you. I never wanted to make a fool out of you. I just—I just wanted you to ask me out." Scarlett sighed as she realized how dumb that sounded.

Justin scoffed again. "Really, how selfish can a person get?"

"I wanted to tell you. Really, I did. You have to believe me."

"You just said you wanted me to ask you out. Besides that, you waited eleven months. Clearly, you didn't want to tell me that badly. You were probably just going around and enjoying our relationship—or not—and then laughing at how oblivious I was behind my back."

"Trust me, I was never laughing and I did enjoy dating you. As I said, I _like_ you. A lot. You've been extremely nice to me and I—"

"You told me you loved me. Now you just _like_ me? Were you lying about that, too? Were you trying to make me look dumber than I already do?"

"No! Justin, you're not seeing my point!"

"I'm not? Well, I'm seeing that you lied to me for nearly a year. You kept the secret of a lifetime from me and let me believe we actually had a future together."

"I wasn't enjoying myself at all. It bothered me that I was letting days, weeks and months go by without telling you, but it was hard! You would do or say something so incredibly sweet and I lost any and all willpower I had. I knew I was lucky to have you, and if things had been different-"

"Do you like _him_? Fred?" Justin wrinkled his nose and practically spat out Fred's name.

"No," Scarlett replied. "We're friends and had feelings for other people. I just told you I wanted you to ask me out. If I really liked Fred right from the start, this whole thing would have been so much easier. But it's not easy. It's difficult for us. And the fact that you hate Fred didn't make it any easier to tell you."

"I thought relationships were supposed to be built on trust," Justin said, shaking his head, "and ours was one big lie. No wonder you and Fred were always sneaking around. I'm guessing there were more times that you were together than that one I found out not from you, but from Erica."

Scarlett blushed. "All we were doing was trying to become friends again so that our marriage wouldn't be a complete disaster. We never did anything! I've told you this before. I may have put off telling you about the vow and, yes, it was wrong, but I would never cheat on you."

"How am I supposed to believe that?"

"You can't be serious."

"After we argued back at school, you came back with this big apology," Justin said with a laugh of disbelief, "and I was stupid enough to fall for it."

"Justin, you can't really think I was seriously cheating on you," Scarlett whispered. "I'm admitting that I hung out with Fred but that's it! We just spent time with each other. I told you there are no feelings between us."

"I don't know what to think," Justin snapped. "But you know what? I think you do like him! It would explain everything!"

"No, it wouldn't!"

"I think it would."

"All we wanted to do was become friends again," Scarlett whispered.

"Merlin, Scarlett," Justin sighed angrily. "It doesn't matter what you wanted to do. The real point is that you went behind my back for eleven months and I have no idea what to believe anymore. I suppose _Fred_ thought it was funny that I was so clueless."

"No," Scarlett snapped, her patience beginning to wear thin. "He couldn't have cared less. Besides, he hasn't told Angelina yet either, so laughing at you would be pretty hypocritical anyway."

"Wow, that's just fantastic. I'm glad you made your decisions on the matter based on what the useless, careless prankster was doing." In a huff, Justin stood up and headed for the back of the Leaky Cauldron and the entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Justin!" Scarlett cried angrily. She threw some money down on the table and followed him into Diagon Alley. He was a little ways ahead of her, walking at an incredible speed and she had to jog to keep up. "I can make my own decisions, you know! Fred wasn't influencing anything!"

"Oh, good, so you're just moronic on your own, then."

"How dare you!" Without even knowing how she had moved so fast, Scarlett managed to cut Justin off. She glared up at him. "Why can't you just understand that I _never_ wanted to hurt you?"

"Because you ended up doing just that," Justin said, brushing past her.

"I know I didn't make the best decisions," Scarlett said, jogging after him, "but if you know anything about me at all, then you know that I'm not the person you're making me out to be. You'll know that I agonized over just how and when to tell you the truth. You'll know that I would never, _ever_ cheat on you. That's not the kind of person I am! I mean, this whole vow thing was tearing me apart. Just ask Erica or even Fred for that matter if you can bear to talk to him for two seconds!"

"Oh, I'm planning on paying Fred a visit, but I don't want to talk to him," Justin said.

"What?" Scarlett stopped short in momentary confusion. Suddenly, the location they were in and the direction Justin was headed clicked into place. "Justin, no!" she cried, hurrying after him again.

He was walking too fast for her to catch up before he entered Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Although the shop was crowded, he seemed to locate Fred right away, helping a customer by a display of trick wands near the window.

Everything after that seemed to happen in slow motion. Justin headed straight for Fred, who only had time to glance up before Justin punched him in the face. Fred staggered back a few steps, knocking over the display of trick wands. Customers screamed, including Scarlett, whose hands flew to her mouth in shock.

"Are you mental?" Fred asked, glaring at Justin. His nose was bleeding and he was trying to stop it with his hand.

"Maybe, but it's loads better than what _you_ are," Justin snapped.

"What is going on over here?" George had forced his way through the now gathered crowd. His mouth dropped open as he took in the fallen display, Fred's bloody nose, Justin's angry expression, and Scarlett standing there in shock.

"I'm sorry," Scarlett whispered, tearing her eyes away from Fred to look at George.

"Yeah, go ahead and apologize to _them_," Justin snapped.

"Well, unless _you're_ going to, then I should," Scarlett replied.

"No, I'm not going to apologize. I'm not sorry for what I did. The only thing I'm sorry for is ever meeting you. I'm done." With that, Justin pushed past Scarlett and left. The bell above the door jingled loudly in the silence and the sound was entirely too cheerful in light of what had just happened. Scarlett stood frozen in place with her mouth hanging open, feeling as if Justin had stabbed her.

"Are you okay?" George asked gently, his voice low. Not as if he needed to make an effort. The shop was so silent that everyone would be able to hear a pin drop.

"I really am so, so sorry," Scarlett whispered, looking from George to Fred and backing towards the door. She was willing herself not to burst into tears right then and there, but she didn't know how much longer that would last. She was upset, angry and humiliated.

"Scar," Fred began, his tone almost an order for her to stay and answer George's question.

She shook her head. "I have to go." She quickly turned and ran outside before Apparating to the one place she thought the twins wouldn't find her if and when they came after her.

* * *

"Okay, everyone, back to what you were doing. There's nothing to see here anymore!" George began shooing the crowd away from the fallen display and his bloodied brother.

Fred made his way over to George, still trying to wipe blood from his nose. "I'm guessing she told him about the vow," he said in an undertone.

"Sure seems that way," George answered. He waved his wand at Fred's face, stopping the blood flow and clearing it away.

"Thanks," Fred said. He paused. "So, where do you think she went?"

George shrugged. "No idea. Why? Thinking of going after her?"

Fred smiled slightly and nodded. "I have to. She's probably a wreck right now."

"Go," George told him. "I'll clean up here. Verity and I will be able to manage for the rest of the day."

Fred broke into a grin. "Thanks, George. But first I have to find out where she went. I don't think she'd go back to her flat."

"Try her mother's house," George suggested. "Even if she's not there, her mum probably knows her well enough to tell you where she might be."

"Good idea. I'll try there." He paused as he thought for a second. "The only thing is that I don't know where her mother lives either. We had no idea where Scarlett grew up after she moved away, remember?"

"Then go to her flat and ask Erica."

"I'm guessing that's my only option," Fred said. "Thanks, George, really."

"Don't mention it. Just go find her and make sure she's okay."

"Do you think she'll talk to me?" Fred asked.

"I don't think it matters," George shrugged. "Even if she doesn't want to talk to you, I don't think you'd take no for an answer."

Fred smiled. "You're right, I wouldn't."

George smiled back. "Let me know what happens."

"Okay," Fred nodded. He took a deep breath before turning and walking outside , Apparating immediately to Scarlett's flat. Once there, he hurried up to the door and knocked impatiently. After a few seconds, Erica answered.

"Fred?" She looked surprised to see him.

"Is Scarlett here?" he asked, wasting no time in getting right to the point.

"No, she, uh, actually went to tell Justin the truth about the vow."

"I know. Justin came tearing into the shop and punched me. Scarlett was right behind him and after he left, she ran out. I don't know where she is. I was going to go ask her mother if she had any ideas where Scar could have gone, but then I realized I don't know where she lives. I was hoping you could tell me."

Erica gaped at him. "So she actually told Justin?"

"Yes."

"She went through with it?"

"Yes."

"And he punched you?"

"Yes, he punched me," Fred sighed.

"Did he say anything?"

"Yeah, a few things, but right now I'd really like to find Scar. She can tell you the story in detail later. Do you know anything about where she would have gone?"

Erica thought for a moment. "Do you think she could actually be at her mother's house?"

"I don't know. I suppose it's possible, but I really don't think that's where she went. She's most likely really upset. She looked on the verge of tears when she ran out of the shop. Knowing her, she'd want to be alone."

"You're right."

"Do you have any other ideas?" Fred asked hopefully.

"No, but I'll write down her mother's address for you."

Fred nodded. "That would be great."

Erica gestured for him to follow her inside. He did so and stood by the door, shifting from one foot to the other while Erica went into the kitchen. She returned a moment later with a small slip of paper in her hand. "Here," she said, passing it to Fred. "I wish I could help you more. I'm probably the worst best friend ever."

"You're not. Trust me."

"Do you want me to come with you and help you look for her?"

"No, I think Scarlett and I need to talk alone about what happened."

"Good point. Besides, she likes talking to you. You can make her feel better. She tells you things."

"She still can't talk to me like she talks to you. You're her best friend and believe me, you're so important to her."

Erica smiled. "Keep me updated?"

Fred nodded. "I'll probably bring her back here later anyway. Don't worry about a thing."

"Okay," Erica said quietly. "Fred?"

"Yeah?" he asked, turning on his way out the door.

"Do you think she's alright?"

"I think she will be," Fred replied.

Erica nodded. "Okay, well, don't waste any more time. Go find her and make sure she's okay."

Fred smiled. "Will do." He disapparated and reappeared at the address Erica had given him. He glanced up at the house before knocking on the door. After what felt like an eternity, it swung open to reveal Scarlett's mother.

"Fred, what a surprise! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"It's a long story. Is Scarlett here?"

"No, she's not. Have you tried her flat?"

"Yeah, she's not there either."

"Is something wrong, Fred?"

"Scarlett finally told Justin the truth about the vow. Basically, she ran off upset and I want to talk to her but I don't know where she is."

"What do you mean she ran off? Ran off from where?"

Fred took a deep breath and, as quickly as he could, explained what had happened.

"Oh, my goodness. Are you okay? How's your nose?"

"Fine. It didn't break and George stopped the blood flow before I left. Anyway, do you have any idea where Scarlett could have gone?"

Mrs. Callaway bit her lip. "Come in," she finally said.

Fred followed her into the kitchen and they both took seats at the table.

"There is one place that I can think of where Scarlett may have gone," Mrs. Callaway said.

"Where?" Fred asked.

"I'm guessing she's upset and embarrassed about what happened at the shop. You know her. She doesn't like anyone to see her upset. She would have wanted to go somewhere you didn't know about or wouldn't think of looking."

"Okay, and you know where that place is?" Fred asked.

"Scarlett passed her Apparition class just over a year ago. Once she was able to travel on her own, she would visit her father's grave whenever she was upset or wanted to be alone. This went on for the few months before we left for Grimmauld Place. After that, she couldn't go at all. The first time she went, she mentioned it to me briefly after she came home, but after that, never said a word about it. I knew she was going, though. It became the spot she went to on the rare occasions we got into arguments or on those days when she was really missing her father, or just whenever she wanted to be alone. I think I'm the only person who knows she likes to go there, though."

Fred nodded. "That makes sense. I'll check there."

"Here, let me give you the exact location where my husband is buried." Mrs. Callaway quickly scribbled something down on a piece of paper and gave it to Fred. "Keep in mind that it is a Muggle cemetery, so it might be best to Apparate somewhere outside the gates, just in case."

"Got it," Fred said. "Thanks again, really."

"Don't mention it," Mrs. Callaway said as she walked Fred to the front door. "And once Scarlett's calmed down, tell her to write me and let me know she's okay. Or you can write me. Either one. I just want to know she's alright."

"Of course."

"Take care of her, okay?"

Fred smiled. "Was there ever any doubt that I wouldn't?"

"Of course not," Scarlett's mother replied, returning the smile.

"I appreciate that," Fred said with a smile. "I'll keep you updated, though. Erica and George are expecting me to do the same."

"As they should," Mrs. Callaway said with a smile. "Now, hurry up and get going. Time's ticking."

Fred smiled wider and saluted her before disapparating, hoping that he would find Scarlett exactly where her mother had said she'd be.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know, FINALLY. *pulls out party hat* I was so excited to post this chapter and I know how anxious you all were for the break up to happen, so thank you for your patience, really :)**


	39. Chapter 39

"_If you focus on what you've left behind, you'll never be able to see what lies ahead."_

**-Chef Gusteau (Ratatouille)**

* * *

The moment Scarlett appeared at the cemetery gates, she began running towards her father's grave. She knew the way by heart now despite the fact that she hadn't gotten all that many opportunities to come before. Once she reached the grave, she sank to her knees and finally let her tears fall. She cried like that for what seemed like ages before the tears finally slowed to sniffles. She turned and sat back against the tombstone, pulling her knees to her chest and leaning her head back against the cool stone. She closed her eyes and sniffled a few more times.

"Hi dad," she whispered after a few moments. "I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while, but things have been weird. Mum and I are both fine, but we had to go stay at Grimmauld Place at the very end of last summer. It's Harry Potter's godfather's house. It's kind of a long story. Anyway, then I went back to Hogwarts and, well, remember that boy I told you about last summer when I came? Justin? Well, he asked me out, which was great. But then a horrible new teacher tried to ruin my life. Actually, you might have heard of her. She hated Mum in school. Anyway, she tried to make sure I wouldn't become a Healer, but I did it anyway. I've been training at St. Mungo's all summer, so it sounds like everything worked out, doesn't it? Well, the truth is, I just broke up with Justin. At Grimmauld Place, I found out I have to marry Fred. Weasley. We made an Unbreakable Vow. We actually made it a few months before you died, but nobody except Bill and Charlie knew for years. Again, it's kind of a long story. I kept it from Justin for nearly a year and dated him anyway. I just told him today and he was angry. He ran into Fred and George's joke shop and punched Fred, knocking over a display in the process. It was terrible. And now Justin hates me and Fred most likely hates me too…."

"There's no way that could ever be possible."

Scarlett's eyes flew open and she blinked a few times. "Fred?" she asked, hastily wiping away the remaining tear tracks on her face.

"Can I take a seat?" Fred asked quietly.

Scarlett nodded. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"Well," Fred began, lowering himself to the ground beside her, "first I went to your flat to see if you were there. I doubted you were, but it was worth a shot. Besides, I had to find out your mother's address from Erica. I thought your mother would know you the best and have an idea about where you went."

"And she knew I was here?"

Fred nodded. "She said you've been coming here ever since you could Apparate whenever you needed to be alone or whenever you missed your dad."

Scarlett nodded. "Before I could Apparate, I only came with my mother once or twice. She doesn't like coming all that much. It upsets her. Anyway, I didn't get to come here all that much after the first time. A few months later, I was at Grimmauld Place with you."

"Did you usually talk to your dad when you came here?" Fred asked, glancing at her and smiling.

Scarlett blushed. "Yeah…how much did you hear by the way?"

"Pretty much everything," Fred replied.

Scarlett blushed even more. "Oh."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Fred said quickly. "I think it's great actually, that you talk to him."

Scarlett didn't answer. For a few seconds she was quiet. "So you don't hate me?" she finally asked.

"How could I? You didn't do anything wrong. All you did was tell the Finch the truth, which had to be done."

"But he hurt you and practically destroyed the shop."

Fred chuckled. "He knocked over one display. And my nose didn't even break."

"Even still. It was embarrassing for me. What if you lose business because people think you're getting into fights with people?"

Fred shrugged. "I doubt we'll lose business. In fact, we might even get more business. Honestly, people might just think it's the Finch that's certifiably insane."

Scarlett groaned.

"His fault, not yours. It's that name, I'm telling you. It'd drive anyone nuts."

Scarlett let out a breath of laughter. "Are you sure your nose is okay?"

"Positive. And good thing for you because I'd have no choice to be forever angry at you if my perfect nose was ruined," he teased.

"You just said it wasn't my fault," Scarlett said with a tiny smile.

"True. I guess I should really be blaming bird brain."

Scarlett sighed. "He was so angry. I think he's convinced I was cheating on him with you. He hated that I didn't tell him the truth, which I understand, but _he_ couldn't understand how difficult everything was for me. It hurt that he called me moronic, a liar and a cheater right to my face. And then for him to say he was sorry he ever _met_ me…."

"He said all that to you?" Fred asked.

Scarlett nodded. "He did."

"What a git."

"It seemed a little harsh," Scarlett continued, "but then I feel as if his reaction is justified because I am a huge liar and I treated him like dirt."

"No," Fred said. "You were right when you said he was a bit harsh. He was very harsh if you ask me. You don't deserve what he said to you. And it isn't like you wanted to lie or were even enjoying it. I would know."

"Exactly. I told him that, but he wouldn't listen. I just…I hate myself right now."

"You shouldn't. If what the Finch said is what he really thinks of you and if he wouldn't listen to or believe you, then do you know what I think?"

"What?" Scarlett asked.

"That he's not good enough for you."

"I thought he was," Scarlett sighed. "I don't know what to think anymore. Maybe you have trouble seeing it, but he was very nice to me right from the start. But then today everything he said just stung. That's why I feel like maybe I deserved it."

"No, you didn't. Like I said, you weren't enjoying lying. And you didn't cheat on him. You're not that kind of a person. Even the idea of cheating on someone would tear you up inside. He's just insecure."

Scarlett glanced at him. "How is it that you know me so well, but Justin doesn't?"

Fred shrugged and smiled. "I guess technically I've known you longer. And like I said, bird-brain's just insecure about a lot of things. For what it's worth, I'm on your side, not his."

"There's a shock," Scarlett snorted.

"It's true," Fred laughed.

Scarlett half-smiled and the two of them fell silent for a few moments.

"What did you mean when you said Umbridge hated your mum in school?" Fred asked.

"Oh," Scarlett said. "It's why Umbridge hates _me_ so much. She was a few years ahead of my mother at Hogwarts. Basically, Umbridge was jealous and even back then hated that someone with magical blood would fall in love with a Muggle. My mother said Umbridge considered her _tarnished_ and tried to turn people at school against her, but everyone turned onUmbridge instead."

"And then she continued to take it out on you?"

Scarlett nodded. "Seems that way. I think she believes I'mequally as dirty—if not even more so—because I'm a half-blood and you know what she thinks of anything that isn't fully one thing or another."

Fred let out a quiet laugh of disbelief. "She's sick."

Scarlett nodded. "Mm."

"You're not, by the way," Fred said. "Tarnished or dirty. You're amazing, actually."

Scarlett smiled at him. "At least someone thinks so."

"Lots of people think so," Fred told her. "Forget what Umbridge thinks of you. She's insane. And forget what the Finch now thinks of you, too. He's also insane."

Scarlett giggled. After another moment of silence, she looked at Fred and tilted her head towards the grave they were leaning against. "My father would have liked you," she said.

"He met me before he died," Fred said, looking at Scarlett confusedly. He half-smiled. "And don't call me bigheaded again, but I thought he did like me."

"He never knew you past age nine, though. I guess what I really meant was that he still would've liked you. He would've liked the person you are today. I thought you ought to know."

"Would he have liked the Finch?" Fred whispered, meeting her eyes.

Scarlett shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe," she whispered back, "but after today, maybe not so much." She held Fred's gaze for a few seconds longer before quickly looking away.

Fred cleared his throat. "So, just how upset are you over the Finch?"

Scarlett shrugged again. "It's hard. I knew this was coming, but it doesn't make it any easier. I think I'm more hurt about what he said to me than about the actual break up. But dealing with that is still difficult as well."

Fred nodded. Suddenly, he stood up and held out his hand to Scarlett. "Come on."

Scarlett looked up at him in surprise. "Where are we going?"

"To your flat."

"You have something planned. I can practically see the wheels in your head turning."

"So what?" Fred asked. "You trust me, don't you?"

Scarlett simply stared at him for a few seconds before finally taking his hand and letting him help her up. When Fred started turning to Apparate, Scarlett stopped him. "Wait. This is a Muggle cemetery. We can't just Apparate right out in the open."

"I know. Your mother mentioned that. But there's nobody around except us. I think we can get away with it just this once."

Scarlett looked around and sighed. "Alright, let's go."

Fred gave her hand a squeeze before turning on the spot. Within a matter of seconds, they were standing outside of Scarlett's flat.

"Erica's probably waiting for me to come back," Scarlett sighed, gazing at the door. "And she's going to ask a million questions that I don't feel like answering right now." She glanced at Fred. "Don't get me wrong, Erica's my best friend and I will tell her the whole story eventually, but I just don't know if I can handle an interrogation from her and then me retelling everything in detail."

Fred nodded. "I get it. I figured you'd feel this way, actually. Remember the plan you accused me of formulating? Part of it includes kicking Erica out for a little while."

"You can't do that. It's her place as much as it is mine."

"Don't worry," Fred assured her. "Just leave everything to me."

"But—"

"No," Fred smirked, "no 'buts'. Just go with it, okay?"

"Okay," Scarlett sighed. Taking a deep breath, she led the way up to the front door, unlocked it and pushed it open.

"Scarlett, is that you?" Erica stuck her head out of the kitchen almost at once. When she saw Scarlett, she ran over and hugged her tightly. "Are you okay? Fred came by earlier saying you told Justin the truth but he didn't know where you had gone."

"I'm fine," Scarlett assured her. "Still a little upset, but yeah, I'll be okay."

"Where did you find her?" Erica asked, turning to Fred.

Fred glanced at Scarlett, clearly unsure of what to say.

"I was at the cemetery where my dad's buried. I didn't think anyone would find me there."

"Oh," Erica replied. "Well, Fred was quite intent on finding you."

"Yeah, I thought it would be best if we talked things over, which we did," Fred said, shrugging. He looked at Scarlett. "Why don't you go get comfortable?"

"What?"

"I'm going to need you to go put on comfortable clothes," Fred said seriously.

Scarlett gave him a look. "Why?" she asked curiously.

"Just do it," Fred answered.

"Fine," Scarlett answered, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. She headed off down the hallway to her bedroom. She heard Fred start talking to Erica in a low voice and wondered what he was planning.

Five minutes later, Scarlett opened her bedroom door and peered down the hallway. She had changed into a pair of polka dotted pajama pants and a pale blue long sleeved shirt. She didn't hear voices anymore and wondered what was going on.

"Fred?" she called, making her way down the hallway.

"In here," Fred called from the living room.

Scarlett entered the room to see Fred examining the television. "What are you doing?"

"What is this and why do you have it?" Fred asked, continuing to intently examine the device.

Scarlett actually giggled. "It's a television. Remember how I told you about those Muggle things called movies? That's what they're played on. And I have one because, well, when I was a kid, my dad knew about the magical world and he thought it was great, but he also wanted me to be acquainted with things in the Muggle world. I kind of grew attached to watching movies, especially since my dad was the one who introduced me to them."

"Do you have any of those movies you mentioned before?"

"Yeah, they're in the cabinet under the television," Scarlett replied, pointing.

"Excellent," Fred grinned, looking up excitedly.

"Do you want to watch some?" Scarlett asked slowly, giving him an amused look.

"Later," Fred replied, turning and heading for the door. "Wait right here. I'll be back soon."

"Where are you going?"

"You'll see." Fred pulled open the door and turned slightly. "Just wait here. I won't be long."

"Did Erica leave?" Scarlett asked.

"Fred nodded. "She'll be back tomorrow sometime."

"What did you tell her to get her to leave?"

"I told her what I was planning and she gladly agreed to leave for the night."

"What _are_ you planning?"

"I can't tell you yet. That would ruin it."

"Where did Erica go?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Fred, you're being kind of creepy."

Fred laughed. "As long as I keep you in suspense until I get back."

"Well, I am in suspense."

"Good. Now just go sit down and wait for me to come back."

"As you wish," Scarlett said, rolling her eyes as Fred smiled and closed the door.

Scarlett retreated to the couch and sat down. She wondered what Fred was up to and what he had said to Erica to convince her to leave until tomorrow.

Sighing, Scarlett flopped onto her back and dangled her legs over the arm of the couch. In the quiet, she couldn't help but replay the argument with Justin over and over again in her head.

Finally, there was a knock on the door. Scarlett opened it and Fred quickly made his way into the house. He had changed out of his work clothes and into jeans and a sweatshirt. His arms were laden with bags that he immediately brought to the kitchen and set on the counter.

"What's all that?" Scarlett asked, following him.

"Food," Fred answered. He began emptying out the contents of the bags.

"Yeah, junk food," Scarlett noted, taking in the pile on the counter. "It looks like you raided Honeydukes."

Fred smiled. "Problem?"

"No," Scarlett answered slowly, "it's just—"

"I got firewhiskey as well," Fred interrupted. "Oh, and ice cream. Erica said chocolate was your favorite, so that's what I got."

"Fred, I really don't understand," Scarlett said as Fred slid the ice cream into the freezer. "Why did you bring me all of this stuff?"

"It's what girls do after they have a break up, isn't it?" Fred asked, turning around. "You know, they eat junk food and ice cream? And they mope around a lot."

Scarlett stared at him for a moment before giggling. "If you want to stereotype break ups, then yes, but oddly enough, I'm not moping."

"Good," Fred said, pretending to wipe sweat off his forehead. "That's a relief."

"I am, however, excited about the junk food," Scarlett continued. She quickly snagged the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and opened it. "If you don't mind, I'm going to eat all of the marshmallow ones now."

"Knock yourself out," Fred told her, smirking.

Scarlett raised her eyebrows. "Are you feeling okay? You aren't going to argue with me or cry about it?"

Fred shook his head and leaned up against the counter. "You just broke up with your boyfriend. Therefore, you're entitled to all the marshmallow beans you want. And I also thought we could watch movies together. It might cheer you up. It's better than me trying to tell you stories because I'm terrible at it. So we'll watch those movies that I'm so interested in seeing and we'll sit around and splurge on food."

Scarlett stared at him. "You're going to stay here with me?"

"Of course."

"This isn't too, I don't know, _girly_ for you? Sitting around watching movies and eating junk food? What next? Are you going to suggest we do each other's hair too?"

Fred laughed. "No, that might be crossing the line, but honestly, I am interested in seeing what these movie things are and I love food."

"Of course it has nothing to do with me," Scarlett laughed.

"Of course not. We can't all be princesses, Scar," Fred teased.

Scarlett smiled and looked down into the box of Every Flavor Beans, staring at the multitude of colors inside. "I'm sure I could have done this with Erica. Or maybe not. But only because I'm not so devastated that I'm about to break. You didn't have to go through any trouble."

"It wasn't any trouble. Besides, you said that you weren't ready for Erica to bombard you with questions."

Scarlett looked up and stared at Fred for a few seconds more. Finally, she smiled and held out the box of Every Flavor Beans to him. "I suppose everything you've done earns you at least one marshmallow bean."

Fred laughed and took the box before reaching his hand inside. "I'm glad you think so." He jerked his head towards the living room. "Come on, let's go."

The two of them made themselves comfortable on the floor in front of the couch after bringing in the snacks and setting everything, including little bowls of ice cream and a bottle of firewhiskey each, on the coffee table.

"What do you want to watch first?" Scarlett asked, crawling over to the television to set up the first movie. She glanced over her shoulder to see Fred grinning at her almost guiltily. She sighed and smiled. "You want to watch Peter Pan, don't you?"

"If you don't mind. I know I must tire you with wanting to hear the story over and over."

Scarlett shook her head. "It's nothing. I don't mind. Really, I don't." She put in the movie and crawled back to sit beside Fred.

They sat side by side as they watched the movie. Fred was incredibly fascinated and could barely contain his excitement, fascination and confusion as the movie began to play.

"Do you like it so far?" Scarlett asked about twenty minutes in.

"It's fantastic," Fred replied in an awed whisper.

Scarlett giggled and reached for a handful of every flavor beans.

Another fifteen minutes passed by and without even quite realizing what she was doing, Scarlett rested her head on Fred's shoulder as she slowly turned her nearly empty firewhiskey bottle in her hands.

"Don't tell me the firewhiskey made you sleepy already," Fred whispered, smirking.

"It doesn't matter either way," Scarlett shrugged. "Even if it did, I wouldn't miss the end of the movie for anything."

"Haven't you already seen it?"

"Yeah, but I really don't think it ever gets old."

Fred chuckled. "I agree." After a pause, he slipped his arm around her shoulders. "Comfortable?"

Scarlett nodded and took another drink of her firewhiskey. "Thank you," she whispered, "for doing all of this for me."

"Don't mention it," Fred whispered back, patting her shoulder.

When the movie ended, Fred leaned back and stretched, removing his arm from around Scarlett's shoulder as he did so. Scarlett sat up and rubbed a hand over her eyes.

"So," Fred said, lowering his arms to his lap and looking at Scarlett, "I think our next decision is whether we want to go get dinner or if we're too full."

"Too full," Scarlett said. "I feel like I've consumed more sugar tonight than I usually do in a month."

"Agreed," Fred nodded. "So, in that case, I think it's time for another movie."

"Which one?" Scarlett asked with a smile.

"Any one," Fred shrugged.

Scarlett stood up and crossed the room to the television. She knelt down in front of it and examined her collection of movies. Finally, she settled on _The Wizard of Oz_ and held it up. "Good?" she asked.

Fred nodded. "Perfect. While you're putting it in, I'm going to grab another firewhiskey. Want one?"

Scarlett debated for a moment. "Sure," she finally replied.

"Okay, be right back," Fred said, heading into the kitchen. While he was gone, Scarlett slipped the movie in and resumed her spot in front of the couch. Seconds later, Fred returned with the drinks, handing one to Scarlett before sitting down beside her again.

"Thanks," Scarlett said, taking a sip.

"Drunk yet?" Fred teased.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "No, but any more than two of these and I might be. Why, are you trying to get me drunk?"

"No," Fred shrugged, "not really. Just slightly more relaxed. You need to relax sometimes. Especially today. Today was rough. This helps." He held up his drink.

Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you calling me uptight?" she asked.

"No," Fred answered quickly.

"I think you are."

"Put a sock in it, Scar, the movie's starting," Fred said, trying to hide his smile.

Scarlett lightly shoved his shoulder as she took another sip of her firewhiskey. "I can pause it, you know," she said, twirling the remote in her hand.

"What's _that_?" Fred asked in wonder.

"It controls the television," Scarlett explained. "I can press a button and pause the movie." She pressed the pause button to show him.

"Amazing," Fred whispered, gazing at the screen. He turned to look at Scarlett. "Okay, play it now."

"No," she shrugged. "You told me to put a sock in it."

"I didn't mean it," Fred said, giving her a cheesy smile. "Forgive me?"

"I don't know," Scarlett teased.

"Come on, play it. Don't make me grab that magical button wand out of your hand."

"It's a remote. And go ahead, try it," Scarlett taunted, holding the remote as far away from him as possible.

Fred leaned over and tried to grab the remote as Scarlett squealed and stretched her arm away from him. Fred grabbed her around the waist and slid her closer, reaching out for the remote with his other hand.

The struggle went on for another moment until Fred finally grabbed the remote. "Got it," he said triumphantly. He waved the remote in Scarlett's face. "You put up a good fight, though."

"Just play the movie," Scarlett said, sniffing and sticking her nose in the air as she tried to hide her smirk.

"You're mental," Fred teased, looking down at the remote. "Which button?"

"Figure it out on your own."

"So you don't mind if I blow up your television? Because that's what's going to happen if you leave me blindly fumbling around with this thing."

"You should have thought of that before you grabbed it from me."

Fred looked at her for a moment before holding the remote out to her across both of his palms as if it were a peace offering. "Please help me out here," he said.

Scarlett let out a tiny giggle and took the remote. "This button," she said, showing him as she pressed it and the movie began to play.

"Got it," Fred nodded.

"You'll forget by tomorrow."

"Probably."

Scarlett laughed and shoved his shoulder again.

After _The Wizard of Oz_ was over, Scarlett and Fred started a third movie. Fred chose _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_, and while Scarlett loved the movie, she could feel herself growing more and more tired. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was her head drooping onto Fred's shoulder again and him slipping an arm around her once more.

* * *

**A/N: I think this chapters is one of my favorites so far. Fred and Scarlett are just so fun to write! I hope everyone likes it and I really appreciate all of the awesome reviews and the adds to favorites/story alerts. :)**


	40. Chapter 40

"_You were my new dream."_

**-Flynn Rider (Tangled)**

* * *

Scarlett rolled over and rubbed a hand over her eyes. It was a few seconds before she realized that she was lying horizontally on something soft. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was on the couch with a blanket covering her. Fred was nowhere to be seen and the living room was clean of all of the leftover food from the night before. Sitting up and blinking, Scarlett wondered if Fred had left. The possibility that it had all been a dream even crossed her mind before the smell of bacon and eggs drifted into the room.

"Fred?" Scarlett called, tilting her head in confusion.

"In here," Fred called from the kitchen.

Scarlett stood up and walked into the next room to see Fred cooking breakfast.

"What are you doing?" she asked, blinking in surprise.

"Making breakfast," Fred replied with a shrug. "Erica told me you had eggs and bacon around, which sounded perfect to me." He glanced over his shoulder and grinned at Scarlett. "Did you sleep okay?"

Scarlett nodded. "Did you?"

"Yeah," Fred answered. "I did."

"Do you want help?" Scarlett asked, crossing the room to stand beside him.

"No, I can handle it."

"I thought you didn't know how to cook," Scarlett said.

"I've been learning," Fred shrugged. "As of right now, all I've managed to learn is how to make bacon and eggs."

"That's a pleasant surprise," Scarlett said with a smile.

Fred glanced at her again and smiled back before reaching over and ruffling her hair.

"I hope it wasn't a problem that I fell asleep on you last night," Scarlett said after a moment. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

"It was nothing," Fred replied nonchalantly. "I let you stay like that until the movie was over. Then I moved you to the couch and I slept on the floor. And before you protest about that, no, I didn't mind one bit."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. After another pause, she spoke again. "You finished watching the movie, then?"

Fred nodded. "I couldn't let myself sleep until I knew how the movie ended."

"But you know the story. I told it to you."

"Yeah, but those movies are so…fascinating," Fred answered.

"So you forced yourself to stay awake until the movie ended?"

Fred nodded. He glanced at Scarlett again. "What?" he asked with a laugh. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason."

"Come on, tell me," Fred prodded.

"It's just that it's kind of…cute that you did that."

Fred grinned. "You think I'm cute?" he teased.

"Your fascination is cute. Don't let your big head put words in my mouth," Scarlett replied, trying to hide the fact that her face was turning pink.

"It's okay if you think I'm cute," Fred said with a smile. "I won't tell anyone."

Scarlett didn't answer. Instead, she traced random patterns into the countertop as she continued to hide her blushing face.

"If I told you I thought you were pretty cute too, would that make you feel better about your obvious attraction to the most handsome guy around for miles?" Fred asked.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Your head's a bit too big for you to have that title."

"Ouch, Scar, really. You're cruel."

"Hardly," she replied, smirking.

Ten minutes later, the eggs and bacon were ready and Scarlett helped Fred put the steaming plates on the table.

"This is really good," Scarlett said, gesturing to her plate after she had taken a bite. "I'm impressed."

"I did learn a thing or two living on my own."

"Well, I guess that means I won't have to do it for you now," Scarlett teased.

"What do you mean?"

"On the day I first came to your shop, you said once we were married, you were going to make me do all the cooking…and the cleaning."

"Hey, just because I can make eggs and bacon now doesn't mean I'm a professional chef. I still need your help. And as for the laundry, I still haven't quite mastered that."

Scarlett eyed what he was wearing. "Are those clean?"

"Maybe," Fred teased.

Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"No, but honestly, George and I are getting better. You don't have to worry."

Scarlett smiled. "Really, you did a good job cooking."

"Thanks, I appreciate that."

"But since you do know how to cook suitable breakfast food, is this going to be a regular thing when we're married? You cooking me breakfast every day?"

"No way," Fred said with a laugh. "Only when I feel like it. Which will probably be rare."

"Great. Good to know," Scarlett laughed.

Fred smiled and resumed eating his food.

"So," Scarlett said, propping her chin on her hand and looking at Fred as she continued to eat, "any other surprises in store?"

Fred thought about it. "Not really, but a lot of what we did was stuff I was kind of making up as I went along anyway."

"I have an idea," Scarlett said slowly, twirling her fork between her fingers.

"What is it?" Fred asked eagerly.

Scarlett smiled. "It's a surprise. I'll do the dishes and then I'll go get dressed and we can go after that." She stood up and began carrying her plate to the sink.

"I'll do the dishes," Fred said quickly, jumping up and taking Scarlett's dish from her.

Scarlett looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah," Fred nodded. "The faster we can clean up, the faster we can leave."

Scarlett smiled. "Okay." She headed off to her bedroom, throwing one last glance at Fred over her shoulder.

By the time Scarlett had gotten dressed, Fred had finished the dishes and was ready to go. They stepped outside and stood next to each other on the front steps

"Okay, where to?" Fred asked. He grinned at her and slipped his hand into hers. "Lead the way."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and smiled before turning on the spot. She appeared a little way from where she wanted to go and began dragging Fred towards their destination almost immediately.

"Where are we? And where are we headed?" Fred asked.

"Just wait and see," Scarlett replied. After another minute, she saw what she was looking for and dragged Fred over to it. "We're here," she said breathlessly, gazing up at the statue in front of her.

Fred was quiet as he stared at the statue too. "Scar," he finally whispered, "is this the—?"

"Peter Pan statue? Yeah, this is it," Scarlett said. "I know you wanted to see it, so here it is."

"Wow," Fred breathed. He dropped Scarlett's hand and walked closer to the statue.

"Cool, isn't it?" Scarlett asked with a smile.

Fred nodded and turned towards her. "You used to come here with your dad?" he asked.

"All the time," Scarlett replied, walking to stand beside Fred. She put her hand out and gingerly touched the statue, looking up into the youthful face of the young boy that was supposed to be Peter Pan. "I loved it here. I think I told you I used to play here. I could amuse myself for hours, pretending I was really on an adventure with Peter Pan."

"And you haven't been back since the accident, right?"

"Right," Scarlett nodded.

"Is it weird for you?"

"A little," she whispered, "but it's nothing I can't handle." She glanced at Fred and gave him a fleeting smile before looking back at the statue.

"Can I ask you a question?" Fred said quietly.

"Yeah, go for it," Scarlett replied. She turned to look at him, keeping her hand where it was on the statue.

"If this place has so many memories for you and your dad, then why did you bring me here? Won't that make it less special?"

"Of course not," Scarlett answered in surprise. "What makes you think that?"

"It's just that this place has meaning to you. With your dad, not me. I don't want to ruin that for you and I didn't want you to feel obligated to bring me here just because I like the story of Peter Pan."

Scarlett smiled slightly. "You're starting to sound like me. But I didn't—don't—feel obligated to bring you here. I wanted to because I knew you'd like it. You said you wanted to come here together."

"Yeah, but now that I'm here, I'm thinking that was a foolish idea."

"Why?"

"Because it's not my place to try and take over special things you did with your dad."

"You're not," Scarlett insisted. "Trust me. Besides, I have room for new memories. I can still have the memories from when I was younger and make new ones with you."

Fred looked at her. "Really?"

Scarlett nodded. "Of course. This statue…coming here with you…it means just as much to me as coming here with my dad."

"You mean that?" Fred whispered.

"Yeah, I really do," Scarlett whispered back. "I don't know if you realize it, but," she took a deep breath before exhaling slowly, "you've helped me a lot. You were the first person I started really talking to about my dad. I talked to you when I wouldn't talk to anyone else. I don't know why, but I did. I actually think it's only fitting that I bring you here."

"Scar," Fred whispered. He hesitantly reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand, gently brushing his thumb across her cheekbone. Scarlett's heart was pounding, but she continued to hold Fred's gaze and this time she didn't look away.

The next thing she knew, Fred was leaning towards her and before she could stop him, he was kissing her. She froze at first, but after a second, found herself kissing him back. She removed her hand from the statue and rested it on Fred's chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss. Suddenly, Scarlett's head cleared enough for her to realize something and she pulled away quickly, her eyes wide as she stared up at Fred.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking back at her.

"Angelina. You're still with Angelina," Scarlett whispered.

Fred was quiet for a moment. He glanced down at the ground. "No, I'm not. I broke up with her."

"You did?" Scarlett stepped away from him, pulling out of his grasp. "When?"

"The other day," Fred shrugged.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because the next day was the day you broke the news to Justin and you know what happened from there. It wasn't really a good time."

"It was the perfect time," Scarlett argued. She paused. "How did it happen? Was she angry? What did she say?"

Fred shrugged again. "Yeah, she wasn't too thrilled."

"That's it? That's all you're going to say? You aren't going to elaborate?"

"What more do you want me to say? I broke up with her, she's not happy, it's over now."

"We talked a lot about Angelina and Justin's reactions, but now that it actually happened, you don't want to talk about it."

"Neither did you."

"You didn't ask."

"You still didn't give up any information."

Scarlett sighed. "Do you _want_ information?"

"No. Just because we talked about what their reactions might be doesn't mean we have to talk about it when everything actually happens."

"Was it that bad?" Scarlett asked. "Are you okay?"

Fred shrugged a third time. "I'm alright. I mean, Angelina's still my friend and I lost her trust. It's not a good feeling."

Scarlett looked down at her hands, not sure what she wanted to ask next. So many questions were bouncing around in her head and she couldn't focus on just one. "Yet you kissed me, so you must be doing just fine," she finally said.

Fred didn't say anything for a moment. "Hey," he finally whispered, stepping closer, hooking a finger under her chin, and tilting her head up so that she was looking at him. "This is a good thing. Ginny and Erica will be happy and finally get off our backs."

Scarlett smiled faintly. "Very true."

Fred took her hand and smiled. "Let's go. We can go back to your place and watch more movies."

Scarlett laughed. "You're going to make me regret showing them to you."

Fred smiled and gently reached out to brush a strand of hair off her face.

"I think we're going to have to talk, though," Scarlett said, swallowing. "You know, about what just happened."

Fred sighed. "I suppose that makes sense. Alright, come on." He turned on the spot and Apparated both of them back to Scarlett's flat. As soon as they got there, they both froze when they saw who was standing on the front steps, frantically knocking on the front door. It was Angelina.

"Bloody hell," Fred muttered.

Angelina glanced over her shoulder and saw them. Her eyes immediately went to Fred and Scarlett's intertwined hands and she frowned. "So it _is_ true," she said, marching over to them.

"What's true?" Scarlett asked, confused.

"Angelina—," Fred began.

"Do you know who came to see me today?" Angelina asked Scarlett. "Your boyfriend! Or should I say _ex-boyfriend_? And do you know what he told me? He told me you and Fred have to get married! He told me that you knew for eleven months and didn't say anything. He said that you were cheating on him with Fred. You were cheating on your boyfriend with my boyfriend."

"Angelina, no, I wasn't—," Scarlett began, but Angelina wasn't listening.

"And you!" She turned to Fred and poked his chest with her finger. "You never told me at all about this marriage thing! And you've been cheating on me! You didn't even have the decency to at least break up with me first!"

Scarlett felt as if someone had hit her. She blinked a few times. "What?" she squeaked. She looked at Fred and pulled her hand out of his grasp. "You just told me five minutes ago that you broke up with her!"

"Oh, that's what he said, did he?" Angelina scoffed. "Well, surprise, he never did."

"Angelina, look," Fred said. "I never—the Finch lied to you! He—,"

"The who? Do you mean _Justin_?"

"Yeah, it's a habit. It's—"

"You're cruel, Fred," Angelina sniffed.

"What I'm trying to say is that you think I've been cheating on you all this time, when that's not true."

"He _is_ right," Scarlett said quietly. "Justin took everything out of control. I never cheated on him. He's just being paranoid."

Angelina was quiet for a moment. "Maybe you haven't been cheating on me for eleven months, but where were you two today?"

"At Kensington Gardens, visiting the Peter Pan statue," Fred answered promptly.

"And why did you run to comfort Scarlett as soon as she broke up with Justin?"

"Because she needed someone."

Angelina was quiet again. She studied Fred's face. "You stayed over last night, didn't you?"

"So what if I did? I slept on the floor. We didn't do anything that would be considered cheating."

"Did you kiss her?" Angelina asked, glancing at Scarlett.

Fred guiltily looked at the ground.

"That's what I thought. Why else would you have to tell her you broke up with me? And guess what? Cheating on me for five minutes doesn't make it better."

"I was going to tell you the truth about everything. Immediately after I left here today."

"But you didn't. And how am I supposed to know you're telling the truth now?"

"Ange, I make mistakes, but I'm not a bad person. I do try to do the right thing."

"Clearly," Angelina sniffed. "How long have you had feelings for _her_?" She jerked her head towards Scarlett, who raised an eyebrow.

Fred glanced at Scarlett. "Ange, I really—can we talk later?"

Angelina scoffed and crossed her arms as Scarlett finally spoke up.

"No, talk now. Go somewhere and talk." She began backing away towards the front door of her flat.

"Scarlett, wait, I think we need to talk as well," Fred said. "That's what we came back here to do anyway, right?"

"Maybe I don't want to talk anymore," she whispered, tears coming to her eyes. Her mind was starting to catch up and everything was sinking in. Fred had lied to her. He had never broken up with Angelina. He had never told her about the vow. That explained why he had been so vague and hadn't mentioned it to Scarlett. And then he had gone and kissed her and she had kissed him back. She had basically helped him cheat on Angelina.

"Scar," Fred pleaded.

She shook her head and reached behind her for the doorknob. "I just—I need time to think." With that, she flung open the door, dashed inside and slammed it shut. Breathing heavily, she slid down to the floor and buried her head in her hands. After a few moments, she stood up and looked out the front window. Fred and Angelina were still outside. Angelina was yelling again and gesturing wildly with her hands.

As Scarlett watched, Angelina sighed, gave Fred one last look of disgust before Apparating away. Fred ran a hand through his hair before looking up at Scarlett's flat. She quickly moved away from the window and pressed her back against the door again.

A few seconds later, she heard Fred knocking. "Scarlett, can you please open the door?"

"Fred, you lied to me," Scarlett answered.

"I know."

"Why'd you do it?"

"If you'd just open the door, then we can talk about it."

"I think you should go work things out with Angelina first."

"I did."

"She still looked angry to me when she left."

"Of course she's angry! But I confessed everything from beginning to end. What more can I do?"

"Lots," Scarlett sniffed.

"Come on, Scar, just open the door. I won't leave until you do. I'll sit right here on the steps."

"Oh, please, Fred, don't be dramatic," Scarlett snorted.

"I'll do it. I will, and I think part of you knows I will, too, so open up."

Frustrated, Scarlett pulled open the door and glared at Fred. "Why did you lie to me?" she demanded.

"I knew if you believed I was still with Angelina, you'd freak out and worry and overanalyze everything. You would have panicked because of that kiss. I said we broke up to prevent you from feeling that way. I was planning on going to see her tonight and break up with her for real, I swear. I had no idea she was going to be here when we got back."

"Why couldn't you have broken up with her first?"

Fred shrugged. "I know that would have been the right thing to do, but I wasn't sure about anything I was feeling. That is, until just now at the statue. Things haven't been clear for a while, but at the statue, it _was _clear that I really wanted to kiss you and I didn't want to wait any longer."

"_Why_ did you kiss me?" Scarlett whispered. "That's the most important question right now, I think."

"I _like_ you, Scar."

Scarlett closed her eyes and sighed. "Don't say that."

"Why? It's true and isn't it a good thing?"

"Yes, but I've been denying anything going on between us for so long. I told Justin that I never had feelings for you, but then when you kissed me, I was sure I did and now you lied to me and I—,"

"If you do have feelings for me, one lie shouldn't change that."

"Still, lying isn't right."

"I _know_ that, but I just—I just had to," Fred whispered.

Scarlett's expression softened. "You never answered Angelina's question out there. How long have you had feelings for me?"

Fred shrugged again. "Let's just say it's something I've been sorting out for a while."

"How long is a while?"

"I don't know. I could be asking you the same questions. You did kiss me back, you know."

Scarlett sighed. "I suppose my answer would be for a while as well, but it wasn't something I was truly positive or even really aware of until this morning."

"See?" Fred smirked. "Not everything is black and white, Scar. Things are confusing. Not everything is going to be clearly spelled out for you."

Scarlett actually smiled. "I just thought that we were always honest with each other. No lies, no secrets."

"This won't happen again," Fred smiled. "I promise."

Scarlett nodded and stepped outside, closing the door behind her. She took Fred's hand. "Let's go," she said, tugging him down the steps.

"Where are we going?"

"It's another surprise," Scarlett told him, turning on the spot and bringing them to an alleyway between two buildings.

"An alleyway. What a wonderful surprise," Fred said, smirking suggestively.

Scarlett narrowed her eyes. "You know, I _am_ still a bit upset at you. You're still walking on thin ice, Fred Weasley. Don't push it." She pulled him out of the alleyway and to the right. They stopped at the first building they came to.

"What's this?" Fred asked, looking up at it.

"A Muggle bakery. You did just break up with your girlfriend, you know. You need junk food."

"I thought you were still upset with me."

"I am, but we do still have to talk, so I can't exactly give you the silent treatment."

"So you're being nice to me to get me to talk?"

Scarlett smiled. "I'm being nice to you because you were nice to me." There was a pause. "And so you'll talk."

Fred laughed. "Either way, you're incredible."

"I know."

"Now who's bigheaded, huh?"

"Still you. It's always been you."

Fred laughed and tried to ruffle her hair. Scarlett rolled her eyes and moved away. She took his hand again and led him inside the bakery, knowing they definitely had a lot to talk about.

* * *

**A/N: I don't think I can handle how excited this chapter makes me. I was so excited to write/post their first kiss and I hope it lived up to expectations. **

**Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews. It's so good to know that people are enjoying reading the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it!**

**P.S. I also watched Tangled over the weekend, which I guess explains why I had the quote for this chapter on my mind and does Flynn Rider remind anyone else a bit of Fred and George? Maybe it's just me, but the thought kind of occured to me when I was watching the movie, which is totally adorable, by the way.**


	41. Chapter 41

_"We have so much time and so little to do. Strike that, reverse it."_

**-Willy Wonka (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)**

* * *

"Get anything you'd like," Scarlett told Fred as they waited in line. "It's my treat."

"Well, in that case, one of everything," Fred smirked.

"Shut up," Scarlett replied, lightly shoving his shoulder.

Fred smiled. "You have Muggle money?" he asked.

"That's a good point," Scarlett said. She grabbed his arm and pulled him in front of her. "Stand in front of me." Glancing around to double check that nobody in the crowded bakery was looking, Scarlett pulled out her wand and transfigured some of her coins into Muggle money. "Okay, we're good," she whispered, stepping out from behind Fred.

They each ordered a slice of apple pie, and after Scarlett paid they found a seat towards the back of the bakery.

"So," Scarlett said, poking at her pie with her fork. "We're not exactly done talking yet."

"No?" Fred asked through a mouthful of pie. "What more is there to say?"

"Plenty," Scarlett muttered, twirling her fork between her fingers.

"Scar, you're overanalyzing again. You're thinking too much."

"Well, it's what I do, so maybe you should learn to like it."

"I do, actually," Fred shrugged. "In a weird, twisted way, of course."

Scarlett finally looked up. "When did you even start to consider that you might possibly have feelings for me? I know you can't pinpoint an exact date where everything made sense and neither can I, but when did you first start thinking it could be possible?"

"The night my dad was attacked and we had that big talk on the roof, to be honest," Fred said. "That's when it started, although I wasn't sure about it. But the more time I spent with you, the more sure I became."

"I think that's what happened to me. I mean, I liked being around you more and more, but I think I just forced out any thought that suggested I liked you as something more. I would blame it on the vow or on Erica and Ginny messing with my head."

Fred nodded as he finished off his pie. "What I can't believe, though, is that the Finch told Angelina before I could. It was kind of low, even for him."

"I didn't see that coming, either, but now that I think back, maybe I should have."

"Speaking of the Finch, though, I do actually have a question for you."

"Okay, ask away."

"If you're in love with him, then how can you have feelings for me?"

Scarlett didn't answer right away. "Well, like I think I told you, I did love Justin and I still care for him very much, but what I felt for him wasn't the same for what he felt for me. At first I didn't know why, but I suppose it all makes sense now. I mean, I can't not have some kind of strong feelings for him after all he did for me."

"Like buying you expensive jewelry?" Fred asked.

"Not just that," Scarlett replied, shooting him a look. "He was very nice to me."

"Yeah, he only accused you of something you didn't do and then he lied to Angelina about it and got me involved. Sounds like a really wonderful person."

"Look, Fred, I don't need you picking on him right now."

"Aren't you upset about what he did?"

"Of course I am, but that doesn't mean I'm going to trash talk him every chance I get."

"You're no fun, then," Fred muttered. "By the way, what did you do with that locket he gave you? You were wearing it every day."

"I gave it back to him. I gave all the jewelery back and gave him the money for the clothes his mother bought me. I didn't deserve to keep it and it would be weird anyway."

Fred smirked. "You should have kept it. That's a lot of expensive stuff. You could have at least sold it if you didn't want to keep it. You could've been rich right now."

"Don't be a jerk," Scarlett said, smiling slightly. "Selling it would have been even more insulting to Justin."

"I guess," Fred shrugged.

"So, what do you think Erica and Ginny will say? How are we even going to tell them?" Scarlett asked.

"Tell them what?" Fred asked, smiling.

"Don't mess with me, Fred. You _know_ what! How are we going to tell them we kissed? Then, they're going to assume we're together. _Are_ we together?"

"Scar, slow down," Fred said. "It's up to you whether or not you want to be together. I can understand if you'd rather take it slow. I'll be happy either way."

"You will?" Scarlett asked, looking up in surprise.

"Well, not _really_, but I'll have to be, won't I?" Fred grinned. "I'll certainly try."

Scarlett smiled. "I do think I just need some time. At least a little bit. Things just moved so fast…."

"Yeah, I know," Fred whispered. "I get it."

"So we still haven't figured out what we're going to tell Erica and Ginny…and everyone else for that matter."

"Well, I think you can handle Erica. If we tell Ginny, the rest of my family will find out within seconds. And then my mum will tell your mum."

"I think I can tell my mum on my own, but what do we _say_?"

"We tell them we kissed and we're working through our feelings and deciding our next move. Then we add something about how sorry we are for all the annoyance we put them through."

"You do realize how annoying it'll be seeing them gloat, don't you?"

"I do," Fred answered with a smile, "but it'll be worth the suffering."

"Fred, I just don't get it."

"Get what?"

"How you can go from begin perfectly happy with Angelina one minute to liking me the next."

"I told you I thought my relationship with Angelina was falling apart, didn't I?"

"Yeah, because of your busy schedules! You didn't say anything about not liking her anymore. Or did you lie about that, too?"

"No," Fred said, "that is the real reason, but I just didn't feel like trying to fix it because I was already suspecting that I had feelings for you. I told you I was afraid that I wasn't trying to fix things with Angelina. I wasn't trying to make time for her like I should have been and it was all because I was trying to figure out what I actually felt for you."

Scarlett was quiet as she processed what Fred had said.

"You've hardly touched your pie," Fred stated.

"You sound like your mother," Scarlett replied, picking up her fork again. She took a bite of her pie. "Happy?"

"Thrilled."

Scarlett couldn't help but smile.

"Did I tell you Bill and Fleur announced their engagement last weekend?"

"No," Scarlett replied, looking up, "you didn't tell me."

"Yeah, the whole family was over for dinner last Sunday and they broke the news then. Mum's not too happy."

"Why not?"

"I told you she's not too crazy about Fleur and she thinks Bill's rushing things a bit."

"Poor Fleur," Scarlett sighed. "I'm sure all she wants is for your mum to like her."

"I guess," Fred shrugged.

"I know I wouldn't feel too great if it were me your mother didn't like."

"But she does, so you have nothing to worry about."

Scarlett just shrugged. "I still feel bad for Fleur."

"You know," Fred said after a moment, "you should come over for dinner one weekend. It'll be great."

"Is that how you want to announce to everyone that we're, well, whatever we are?"

"No, but we can if you want to."

"I'd rather just do it…quietly," Scarlett said. "Not by announcing it around the dinner table."

"Why, are you worried about upstaging Bill and Fleur's announcement?"

"No," Scarlett replied, shooting Fred a look.

"Ginny and my mum are actually anxious for us to fall in love. It's kind of ridiculous. They think Bill and Fleur are falling in love too fast and they think we're taking too long. Anyway, my point is that us kissing is a step in the right direction for them. They've been waiting for this news, so we'd probably upstage Bill and Fleur no matter what."

"Don't say that. A wedding is great news."

"Yeah, but at least mum and Ginny will be happy with our news."

"Which is why we shouldn't announce it to everyone all at once. I don't want to make Fleur feel any worse when she sees their reaction."

Fred nodded. "I guess that makes sense. By the way, you're invited to the wedding."

"Bill and Fleur's?"

"Of course. What other wedding could I possibly mean? Certainly not ours because there's no way you're invited to that one. You never had a chance."

"Funny, Fred."

Fred just grinned. "Anyway, we all want you there. They're getting married next August at the Burrow. Your mother's invited as well."

Scarlett nodded. "I'll let her know."

"I'm sure you'll both be getting formal invitations anyway, but I thought I'd tell you."

Scarlett nodded again.

"You're not going to finish that, are you?" Fred asked, smirking as he gestured to the half-eaten apple pie on Scarlett's plate.

"I'll get a box for it and bring it home for later," Scarlett shrugged. She glanced up at Fred and smirked. "Happy?"

"Thrilled," Fred grinned.

Scarlett giggled, stood up and held out her hand to Fred. "Come on, let's get out of here."

* * *

The last month and a half of summer flew by quickly. Scarlett was kept busy with work and barely had time to register that that for the first time in seven years, September 1st came and went without her getting on the Hogwarts Express.

As far as her relationship with Fred, they had been taking it slow ever since they kissed. They saw each other whenever they had free moments. Sometimes they went to lunch together before they had to hurry back to work. On the weekends, they sometimes went out on dinner dates, and sometimes stayed in at either Scarlett or Fred's flat. To Scarlett, it basically felt as if they were dating anyway, but it just wasn't official yet. She hadn't spoken to Justin since the breakup and Fred hadn't spoken to Angelina. Scarlett had heard in a letter from Ginny that Justin hadn't even told anyone at school about the vow. He had simply been telling people things didn't work out. Scarlett would have been grateful, but something told her that he was keeping his mouth shut to prevent himself from looking like a fool rather than to respect Scarlett's privacy.

As for breaking the news of Fred and Scarlett's kiss and slight relationship change to everyone else, Scarlett had told Erica on the same day it had happened. Fred had hung around Scarlett's flat for a bit after they got back from the bakery, but eventually he had gone home. Erica had returned about an hour later and Scarlett had given her the details. As expected, Erica had squealed with joy and jumped to conclusions that Scarlett and Fred were madly in love. Scarlett then had to convince her to slow down just a bit.

The next day, Scarlett had told her mother, who took the news a lot more calmly than Erica had. She simply smirked and said, "I knew you'd do the right thing."

As for Fred's family, Scarlett had gone over for dinner at the Burrow the next weekend. She and Fred told Mrs. Weasley the news while she was cooking dinner and everyone else was outside. Upon hearing the news, she turned around with lightning speed and pulled Fred and Scarlett into a bone crushing hug while repeating over and over how she had known all along this would happen.

It also turned out that Fred and Scarlett didn't have to tell Ginny the news separately. She had been standing outside the kitchen door and overheard the news. Nobody had even noticed she was there until she dropped the stack of plates she had been holding. Once she had gotten over the initial shock, she spent the rest of the evening sending Scarlett and Fred gloating looks, which they tried their best to ignore.

By the end of the night, the entire family had figured out Fred and Scarlett's news. Even Sirius, who had also come over for dinner, figured it out pretty quickly and took it upon himself to smile widely at Scarlett every time she made eye contact with him.

In other news, Scarlett was finding that work was keeping her busier and busier with every passing day. It was becoming almost a struggle to see Fred during the week, and she was now considered "on call" during the weekends, which meant if she was called in to work, she had to go. She was basically done with training and practically considered an official Healer by this point. It was good news, but also meant that things were getting more demanding.

On the other hand, Scarlett loved her job. Demanding hours, terrible injuries, and irritable patients aside, Scarlett felt right at home in St. Mungo's. She loved watching people return to health and knowing that she had played a part in it.

She had also found a wonderful friend in Healer Wilson, the Healer who had helped train her. Scarlett had started out on her first day calling her Healer Wilson, but the Healer had insisted Scarlett call her Dani, which made Scarlett feel immensely more comfortable.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Dani asked, stopping Scarlett in the hallway one day in the beginning of December.

"Okay," Scarlett sighed. "It's a bit overwhelming, even though I've been here since July. Is that normal?"

Dani nodded and smiled. "It is, trust me. You'll get used to things, though. But I actually stopped you because I wanted to show you something. Are you available?"

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, for a few minutes at least."

"That's all I need," Dani smiled. "Come on."

Scarlett followed her friend down the hallway and into a room Scarlett had never been in before. "Where are we?" she asked, taking in the multiple tables and shelves filled with cauldrons, vials, papers and test tubes. It looked a lot like the medical version of Fred and George's workroom.

"It's where we work on developing our own new cures and medicines."

"Wow," Scarlett breathed.

"I thought you would find this room interesting." Dani walked over to a table in the corner. "Anyway, this is what I really wanted to show you." She pointed to a cauldron sitting on the table.

"What is it?" Scarlett asked, walking over and peering at the liquid before looking at the numerous papers littering the table. They were covered in complicated equations and lists of ingredients.

"It's something I've been working on for a while. It's a potion that will be able to cure nearly all injuries caused by dark spells, curses and jinxes."

"Aren't there spells and other potions for that?" Scarlett asked.

Dani laughed. "Usually, but not always. There are spells that exist that cause injuries that can't be reversed or healed by another spell or potion. These spells are considered very, _very_ dark magic and were very famous years ago with—"

"Death Eaters," Scarlett finished, nodding.

"Exactly. That's why I'm trying to work on this and complete it now. The sooner the better, really. Things are changing. If I succeed in creating this potion, it could come in handy. I mean, obviously, this potion won't fix _everything_. Really, it's just those irreversible injuries. Cuts, bruises, gashes, that sort of thing. And some of those injuries are fatal. Death Eaters know what they're doing. Sometimes they like dishing out slow deaths and those irreversible spells were the perfect way to do it."

"Do you think you're close to figuring this out?"

"Yeah, actually I think it's almost done. I mean, it's not quite perfect yet, but I think I've almost got it figured out. Sometimes it's difficult, though…."

"Do you need any help?" Scarlett asked.

"No, I think I can manage it. Thanks, though. I think it's mostly done, but I just need to work out one last problem."

"Which is what?" Scarlett asked.

"I tested it for the first time last week because I was sure it was finished. It heals wounds just fine, but it leaves a scar. I'm aiming for it to heal any injuries perfectly."

"Well, it still looks like you could use this now and work things out at the same time. I mean, what if you need it sooner than you think?"

"I don't think I'm ready to put it out there and start selling it just yet. I mean, I'm kind of a perfectionist. I want to do it perfectly the first time."

"I suppose that makes sense, but do you think it'll be long before you finish it?"

"I hope not."

"Me neither. I mean, this will be incredibly handy and a war _is_ coming. Almost everyone can tell by now."

"I know," Dani said quietly. "I feel as if I'm on a time limit. It's crazy. You have no idea how late I've stayed up night after night trying to figure this out. It's stressful and sometimes I feel like I'm under a lot of pressure. I _am_ under a lot of pressure. But I love this job…." Dani trailed off and looked up at the ceiling. "It's all worth it knowing that I can help someone, you know?"

"I do," Scarlett whispered. "Look, are you sure you don't want help? Maybe I could help speed things along and take some of the pressure off. You really do look exhausted, you know. And now that I'm looking at you, you look thinner. Do you even make time to eat?"

"Scarlett, really, I'm fine. You just started working here after all. You don't need any more to add to your work load. Besides, this has to be kept top secret and within the hospital. If people start finding out it exists before it's done, they'll be begging for it. A lot of people are scared right now."

"Okay, well, if you're sure," Scarlett replied slowly. "I just…all this stress can't be good for you. You're worse off than I am."

"It's part of being a perfectionist, I suppose," Dani said, smiling wearily. "But I'll be fine. I'm positive. Speaking of work, though, we should both be getting back to actually doing just that."

Scarlett smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that might be best."

The two of them left the room together, but for the rest of Scarlett's shift, she was bothered by how hard Dani was working and how it was taking a toll on her. By the end of the day, Scarlett had made a decision. Before she left, she snuck back inside the workroom. She slowly filled a vial with the potion Dani had showed her, careful not to spill a drop. She covered the vial and stuck it in her bag before tiptoeing out of the room. No matter how much Dani had refused help, Scarlett thought she could really use it right now. Even if she had to be kept in the dark about it.


	42. Chapter 42

"_At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love."_

**-Meg (Hercules)**

* * *

"Can you _please_ just tell me why you've been borrowing our workroom for hours on end practically every day for the past week and a half?" Fred begged as he leaned against the table Scarlett was working at.

"Work," Scarlett answered vaguely as she continued to scribble things down and cross things out on the piece of paper in front of her.

"I know that, but can't you be more specific?"

"No, it's top secret."

"I could help you if I knew what you were doing. George would be happy to help as well."

"I can figure it out. Thanks, though."

"Scar, look at me." Fred turned to face her before gently reaching out and hooking his finger under her chin, forcing her to look over at him. "You're overworking yourself. You work all day and then you come here and work on…whatever this is until midnight or sometimes even later. On the weekends, you've been busy lately, too, so if I want to see you, I have to come down here and watch you work. I thought it was bad trying to make time to see you before, but now it's even worse. What I'm trying to say is…I miss you."

Scarlett blushed and sighed. "I know, and I'm sorry, but I have to figure this out. My friend at work was trying to create this…potion all on her own. And she's working about ten times harder than I am. I'm just trying to help her out. And I have to keep it a secret because, well, it's a type of medicine that she's trying to create. She's hoping to sell it, so it's not supposed to get out until she's ready or else everyone will be begging for it."

"So how did you get it? Are you that good of a Healer, she asked you to take on this huge project already?" Fred asked.

"No," Scarlett whispered, "she doesn't even know I'm helping her."

"Seriously?" Fred asked. "So you just took this?" He pointed to the vial on the table. "You took it. Without asking?"

"Yeah," Scarlett muttered, "stop making me feel horrible."

"I'm not. I just…I believe George and I have rubbed off on you."

"No, you haven't," Scarlett said with a faint smile.

"Just tell me this," Fred said. "Are you going to be available on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?"

Scarlett smiled. "That depends on why you're asking."

"Well," Fred said with a grin, "I was hoping you'd be willing to celebrate Christmas at the Burrow."

"Yeah?"

Fred nodded. "It's not just me that misses you. You haven't been over for dinner since the end of July. It's been months since anyone besides me and George have seen you."

Scarlett smiled. "I think I can make some time, then."

Fred smirked. "I was hoping you'd say that," he whispered, leaning in and gently kissing her. "Remind me again why we haven't just made our relationship official yet?" he whispered. "We basically _are_ dating, you know."

"You have a point," Scarlett whispered back. "I suppose we _could_ just make things official. I think I've had enough time to adjust."

"More than enough," Fred teased. "But do you mean it? I can officially call you my girlfriend now?"

Scarlett nodded. "Mhm, I think we're ready."

"_We're_ ready? I've been ready since mid-July."

"Fine, _I'm_ ready," Scarlett giggled.

Fred smiled and kissed her forehead. "Why don't you stop working for now? Go home and get some sleep. Or you can stay here. I'm not opposed to that option either." He shrugged and grinned.

Scarlett swatted him. "Creep."

"Hey, we're _official_ now," Fred reminded her. "It's not a creepy suggestion at all. And have you forgotten that you slept over once before prior to us even admitting we liked each other?"

"You made me!"

"I didn't make you do anything," Fred laughed.

Scarlett mock glared at him. "I'm going to go home."

"Fine," Fred answered, smirking. "Go."

Scarlett collected her things and gave Fred a peck on the cheek before heading for the workroom door. "See you tomorrow," she called over her shoulder.

"A kiss on the cheek is all I get?" Fred asked, following her out into the shop.

Scarlett glanced over her shoulder. "Mhm. Sorry, Freddie," she grinned.

"You're lucky I like you so much."

"I know," Scarlett smirked, pausing in the shop's doorway. "Goodnight, Fred."

"Goodnight, Scar."

* * *

"Are you nervous?" Fred asked as he and Scarlett walked towards the Burrow on Christmas Eve.

"No, should I be?" Scarlett asked.

"No," Fred shrugged. "I mean, you've obviously spent time with my family before, but never like this."

"Like what?"

"Like this." Fred held up their intertwined hands.

"They know we're together."

"They know we _like_ each other. We haven't exactly told them we made things official yet."

"Yeah, we told them we weren't official, but do you think they believed it? I think they just automatically assumed we were together no matter what we said."

"I suppose you're right," Fred grinned. They reached the front door and he pushed it open, leading Scarlett inside. "Everyone's probably in the kitchen."

Sure enough, the kitchen was crowded. Everyone who had been invited was already there—Bill, Fleur, Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, and even Mad-Eye. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were back from school for the holiday and were also standing around the kitchen. George was already there as well, perched on the counter with a bottle of firewhiskey in his hand. He noticed Scarlett and Fred and grinned.

"George, get down from the counter, please," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Can't we eat already?" George begged, hopping down.

"No, George, honestly, can't you just wait until Scarlett and Fred get here?"

"They _are_ here," George said, gesturing with his firewhiskey.

Mrs. Weasley whirled around. "Oh, good!" she cried. "Now we can eat."

"Are we late?" Fred asked as everyone found a seat.

"No, I just finished cooking," Mrs. Weasley answered. "You're right on time."

"So," Tonks began, grinning at Fred and Scarlett once everyone had sat down. "I hear you two are dating now."

"Well, we weren't official until last week," Scarlett said blushing.

"Oh, please," Ginny snorted. "You _said_ you weren't official, but nobody believed it."

"Told you," Scarlett muttered to Fred, who grinned.

"It seems that you two have come a long way," Tonks said. She smiled. "I remember when we first heard the news about the vow. Fred overturned his chair and Scarlett looked as if someone had hit her over the head with a frying pan."

"And now look at you," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed happily, "on your way to a happy marriage!"

Fleur sighed and crossed her arms as Bill gave her a weak, apologetic smile.

"We're still working through it…" Scarlett began. "And what about Bill and Fleur? They actually did things right." Scarlett smiled at Fleur, who looked up in surprise and gave her a tiny smile in return.

"Yes, I suppose," Mrs. Weasley said, "but that does remind me…when do you and Fred want to get married? You have about a year-,"

"One year, four months and one week to be exact," Ginny chimed in.

"You've been keeping track?" Fred asked.

Ginny nodded. "I have."

"Yes, so you still have a little bit of time," Mrs. Weasley said, "but I'd suggest you make a decision on the date now. We need to start planning. Things take time, and with this war coming, I don't know if-,"

"Mum," Fred interrupted. He glanced at Scarlett. "Like Scarlett said, we're still working things out. We're kind of going slow."

"We just started…dating," Scarlett said slowly, the word still feeling slightly unfamiliar on her tongue when she was using it to refer to Fred.

"Yeah, but not really. Technically you've been dating since July," Ginny insisted. "You've just been _saying_ things are official recently."

"Besides," Tonks chimed in, "you really don't have a lot of time. Molly's right. Planning a wedding takes time and we've got another wedding coming up, and the strong possibility of a war on the way. Honestly, you'd be better off tying the knot sooner rather than later."

"We don't need a big wedding," Fred said.

"Yeah," Scarlett added. "Bill and Fleur deserve one. Fred and I are a weird case. Two weddings will just be too much pressure. We can do something small."

"Rubbish," Mrs. Weasley said. "Just because your circumstance is a little different doesn't mean you don't deserve a proper wedding. I'm sure Jenna agrees." She looked at Scarlett's mother.

"I somewhat agree," Scarlett's mother said slowly. "Scar, I want the best for you and I want you to be happy. If a small wedding is really what you want, I'm fine with it, but I don't want you to feel like you _have_ to go that route. I _would_ like to see you have a proper wedding, though. You are my only child and my only daughter. It would just be nice, is all, but you do what you're most comfortable with."

"What if Fred and I discuss it and get back to you soon?" Scarlett asked.

"I suppose that's fair," Mrs. Weasley sighed.

"I think that sounds very fair," Sirius chimed in.

Fred nodded. "Okay then, can we just get to eating now?"

Mrs. Weasley sighed and smiled. "Dig in."

After dinner, as everyone began making their way into the living room, Fred laced his fingers through Scarlett's and gestured to the back door. "Want to go for a walk?" he asked.

"It's starting to snow," Scarlett pointed out, glancing out the window.

"All the more reason to go," Fred replied.

"Seriously?"

Fred nodded. "Of course. Besides, I want to give you your Christmas gift."

"Yeah?" Scarlett asked. "What is it?"

"Just come with me," Fred replied. "Please?"

Scarlett looked up at him and smiled. "Okay," she said quietly.

Fred grinned. "Great." He squeezed her hand and led her out the door.

They walked in silence for a moment, away from the Burrow.

"Where are we going?" Scarlett asked.

"Remember the little field back here surrounded by trees where we used to play Quidditch as kids?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, why? Is that where we're going?"

"Mm," Fred answered. He shrugged. "I mean, why not, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Scarlett replied slowly.

They finally reached their destination and came to a stop in the middle of the tree-enclosed area. "Close your eyes and wait here," Fred said abruptly, dropping Scarlett's hand.

"Why?" Scarlett blinked in surprise a few times.

"So I can give you your Christmas gift," Fred replied as if the answer should have been incredibly obvious.

"Should I be nervous?" Scarlett asked. "Of all places, you brought me to this mini, makeshift Quidditch field surrounded by trees to give me my gift. And besides that, you told me to close my eyes."

"No, you have nothing to be nervous about. I swear," Fred told her, smiling. He placed his hands on either side of her face and gave her a quick, gentle kiss before pulling away. "Close your eyes," he insisted.

"Okay, okay," Scarlett sighed, following his orders.

"Don't move," Fred instructed.

"Fine," she smirked as she heard Fred's footsteps moving farther away. After a moment, she heard him return and stop in front of her.

"Okay," he said, "you can open your eyes now."

Scarlett did as he said and her mouth promptly fell open. "What's that?" she squeaked.

"Your Christmas gift. What else?"

"Yeah, but a new broom?"

"You said last summer that your mum sold your old broom and you never got a new one. To me, that's practically a crime, not owning a broom, so I took matters into my own hands. This is all yours." He held the broom out to her.

"Fred," Scarlett whispered, gingerly taking it from him, "I don't know what to say."

"Say thank you."

"Thank you. It's really sweet that you did this."

"What can I say? I'm a natural at being sweet."

Scarlett smiled. "Don't push it."

Fred laughed. "So, I'm guessing you like it, then?"

"Of course I do! How could I not?"

"Why don't you test it out?" Fred suggested.

Scarlett agreed and swung her leg over the broom. "Should I be offering you a ride? You know, since you brought me on one?" she teased.

"No, I actually brought my own broom," Fred replied. "It's behind that tree over there. I thought we could play a one on one version of Quidditch."

"While it's snowing?" Scarlett asked.

"While it's snowing," Fred repeated.

"Okay, go get your broom, then."

As Fred jogged off towards a nearby tree, Scarlett kicked off the ground and flew around in circles.

"Having fun?" Fred asked, flying up beside her.

Scarlett grinned and nodded. "I can't believe I have my own broom again. Thank you. I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," Fred replied.

"Okay, so let's get our two person Quidditch game started, shall we?" Scarlett asked with a smirk. "I'm sure I can win pretty easily."

"Yeah, sure, the girl who hasn't been on a broom in nearly ten years has an incredible chance against the guy who actually played Quidditch for six," Fred snorted.

"I'd say so," Scarlett replied teasingly.

"Well let's get playing and we'll see about that," Fred grinned.

"Let's do it."

* * *

"Good game," Fred said as he landed beside Scarlett about an hour later.

"Yeah, yeah, wipe that pompous smile off your face," Scarlett teased, pretending to pout as they headed back to the Burrow.

"Hey, you should have known what you were getting into," Fred shrugged. "And I did warn you."

"No, not really."

"I reminded you that I played Quidditch for six years and you haven't ridden a broom in ten."

"Yeah, you reminded me sarcastically."

"I know you didn't really fall for it. You're too smart for that."

"Are you trying to flatter me?" Scarlett asked. She stopped walking and tilted her head as she looked up at Fred.

"Is it working?" Fred asked.

"No," Scarlett replied with a sniff as she turned and continued walking.

"Sure it is," Fred said, jogging to catch up with her. "You just don't want to admit it."

Scarlett smiled and rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."

By the time they reached the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley had just finished making hot chocolate, which was definitely appreciated by Scarlett and Fred after being out in the cold.

"I'm glad you finally have your present," George said, once they were all gathered in the living room. He nodded towards Scarlett's new broom that was currently being passed around from person to person. "I thought Fred was going to burst from excitement and ruin his own surprise by telling you before tonight."

"But I didn't," Fred said proudly.

"That does remind me, George," Ginny piped up, "you owe me three Galleons."

"You bet on if Fred would be able to keep his mouth shut?" Scarlett asked in surprise as George sulkily handed Ginny the money.

"And George lost?" Fred gasped dramatically. "It's like he doesn't know me at all. Honestly, George, you call yourself my brother."

"Oh, shut it," George mumbled, trying to hide his smile.

"Are you sure you two are warm enough?" Mrs. Weasley asked Fred and Scarlett, who were sitting side by side on the floor in front of the coffee table. "You were outside for quite some time."

"It was no more than an hour, Mum, relax," Fred sighed.

"Yeah, Mrs. Weasley, we're fine," Scarlett nodded.

"No, I'm fairly certain you're freezing. Here, take this." Mrs. Weasley passed the two of them a blanket that was draped over the back of the couch.

"Thanks," Fred said slowly as he took it. Scarlett looked down into her mug and tried not to laugh. When she looked up, she saw Sirius trying to hold in his laughter as well.

"Be quiet," she mouthed, shaking her head slightly and smirking.

"I am," he mouthed back, shrugging innocently.

Scarlett rolled her eyes and slid slightly closer to Fred as he threw the blanket around both of their shoulders.

"It looks as if my mother is still trying to play matchmaker," he whispered, smirking.

"I don't understand why she would have to," Scarlett replied, resting her head on Fred's shoulder.

"Because we don't…love each other yet," Fred said slowly.

"Ah," Scarlett answered. "And a blanket can change that?"

"Apparently so."

"Imagine someone telling their kids that story. 'Your dad and I fell in love when grandma handed us a _blanket'_," Scarlett giggled.

Fred snorted.

"Of course," Scarlett added quickly, "I said that hypothetically. The kid thing, I mean."

"Right, of course," Fred said, clearing his throat. He paused. "You still don't want any kids together?"

"Well, I was under the impression that Binky was going to be our child," Scarlett smirked.

Binky, who was play-wrestling with George and Ginny's pygmy puffs in front of the fire, perked up at the sound of his name, allowing Arnold to successfully bite his ear.

Fred laughed. "That's right, but I thought you were against it."

"I do want children. Real children. And I do really like you, but I'm still trying to take this day by day. Like you said, we aren't in love yet. I think that should happen first before we consider children. Do you agree?"

Fred was quiet for a moment. "That does make sense."

"Fred?" Scarlett whispered after a moment.

"Yes?"

"What if this relationship doesn't work out for us? I mean, we're finally giving dating a try and we do like each other, but what if it falls apart and we decide we're not right for each other after all? We're still going to have to get married."

Fred sighed. "I've thought about that possibility as well. But I think all we can do is take this one day at a time, like you said. We'll have to work through it and see what happens."

Scarlett nodded. "Okay," she whispered, staring into her mug of hot chocolate again.

"Although," Fred continued, nudging her playfully, "I don't think we really have anything to worry about. After all, Mum gave us this blanket, and you know, blankets have been making people fall in love since…forever."

Scarlett smiled and looked up at him. "Is it working for you?"

Fred wrinkled his nose at her. "No, not a chance."

Scarlett actually giggled. "It's not working for me, either."

"Good," Fred whispered, smirking.

"Yeah, good," Scarlett answered, resting her head on his shoulder once more.

* * *

**A/N: I hope everyone liked the chapter! In the next few chapters we'll be getting into Deathly Hallows, which is pretty exciting. But the story's actually not all that close to being over. Lots of stuff is going to start happening soon and I'm so excited to write/post all of it!**


	43. Chapter 43

"_Life's full of tough choices."_

**-Ursula (The Little Mermaid)**

* * *

Two and a half more months passed quickly and before anyone knew it, it was March. Scarlett was just as busy, if not even busier, than she had always been. Trying to balance her time between work, Fred, Erica, and secretly working on helping Healer Wilson with her new medication was exhausting.

"Scar, I'm not trying to be rude, but if you haven't figured out how to finish that by now, maybe it's just not going to happen," Fred said as he leaned against the work table in the shop's back room. "I mean, I'm not saying you couldn't somewhere down the road, but maybe you just aren't skilled enough yet. It's been months. Have you even made any progress?"

"Yes, of course."

"Doesn't seem like it to me."

Scarlett sighed. "Fred, I just need to figure this out, okay?"

"No, Scarlett, you need to listen to me." Fred grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. "I'm worried about you. You're trying to balance too much."

"No, I'm not."

"You are. You work all day and then most days you're coming here to work on…this. You still haven't told me about in detail, by the way. You know, like what it'll actually do when it's finished."

"I can't tell you."

"My point is that you're too busy. I've told you all of this before and I don't think we're spending as much time together as we'd both like. If we're going to make this—us—work, I think we need to actually spend adequate time together."

"We do spend adequate time together," Scarlett said.

"No, we don't, and you know it. It's not enough. We made it this far and I don't want us to fall apart."

"We won't," Scarlett whispered, reaching up and putting a hand on his cheek. "We'll be fine, okay?"

"That's the thing. We just don't know. But what I do know is that we should be trying to move forward."

Scarlett half smiled. "This feels like some odd role reversal. You're worried and I'm standing here comforting you."

Fred smiled. "Scar, I'm serious, though."

"What else do you want me to do, Fred? I have to work. I can't change that."

"I know, but you're working too much. Figuring out what it is you're trying to figure out isn't necessary. Didn't you tell me you weren't supposed to be doing it in the first place?"

"Yes," Scarlett mumbled.

"Then why are you overworking yourself trying to figure it out? There's a reason why you aren't supposed to. You've been a Healer for less than a year. I don't think you're up to this kind of thing just yet."

Scarlett sighed. "Fred, time's running out. A war is coming and I don't think anyone can deny it anymore. If this can get finished before things start truly terrible, then it can really come in handy. It could possibly save some lives. I don't want to lose anyone, Fred. I'm terrified of losing someone else I care about."

Fred stared at her for a moment longer before pulling her into a hug. He rested his chin on her head and sighed. "I think we're all worried about losing someone. But sometimes we can't control things like that."

"But I'm a Healer. It's my job."

"No, it's not," Fred argued. "Your job is to help people when you can and save lives when you can, but it can't happen all the time. It just can't, no matter how much you want it to."

Scarlett buried her face in Fred's chest. "What should I do, then?" she whispered. "Should I give up?"

"No, I'm not saying give up," Fred said slowly. "I just think you should work a little less hard."

Scarlett let out a weary laugh and looked up at Fred. "I _am_ always exhausted."

"Exactly," Fred nodded, gingerly tracing her cheekbones with his thumbs. "You should see the circles under your eyes. And, I mean, your friend is working on this too, so you aren't the only one. And it is her thing isn't it? Do you think she'll be upset if you made progress or figured it out completely?"

"If I figured it out completely, it _would_ seem like I stole her thunder, wouldn't it?" Scarlett sighed.

"Maybe, yeah," Fred nodded.

"And even if I only did it to help, it might be perceived as annoying."

"Possibly."

"Do you think I could lose my job? Would they count this as stealing?"

Fred shrugged. "You're asking the wrong person, but don't get too ahead of yourself here."

"I don't think I really thought this through enough," Scarlett sighed. "I think it might be better if I gave up."

Fred raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"I mean, nobody has to know about this. You know, just in case I could get in trouble. And like you said, this is Dani's thing. If I figure it all out, I'd just seem…mean. I really should have gotten her permission to help her, but she said no and I just wanted to help, and-,"

"Scar, relax," Fred interrupted. "I know you just wanted to help and I know you're scared to lose anyone. Your reasons for doing this seem justified to me, but I think you need to take a deep breath and make a decision without getting yourself too worked up over consequences and things that might happen."

Scarlett looked up at the ceiling before looking back at Fred and smiling slightly. "You know, now that I think about it, you and I aren't really spending as much time together as I'd like."

Fred smiled. "Came up with that all on your own, did you?"

"Of course."

"I think it might be easier for everyone if I stopped trying to figure this whole thing out and simply stick to telling Dani about any ideas if they come up."

"Good idea," Fred replied. "I like that a lot."

"I know you do."

* * *

"Finally a Friday night where we're able to spend time together," Fred sighed, flopping down on Scarlett's couch. "And Erica's also conveniently out."

"She's going to spend most of the weekend looking at places to open her own clothing shop," Scarlett said, sitting next to him. She smiled. "I love that you, George and Erica, three of my closest friends, are all businesspeople."

"Yeah, joke shop owners and a clothing designer slash store owner. You're basically set for life."

"I think so, too," Scarlett said, looking up at him.

Fred grinned and gave her a quick kiss. "So now that you're going to be considerably less busy, do you think we'll have time to actually try out this whole being a couple thing?

"We have tried it out."

"Yeah, but we've talked about this. You were so busy and so tired before…I mean, let's think about it. It was mid-July when we admitted we liked each other. Then you said you wanted to ease into things, which I do understand, but I still don't feel like we actually behaved like a couple."

"Because, technically, we weren't a couple yet."

"I know," Fred sighed, "but my point is that while we did find time to hang out, we only even kissed a handful of times. Then you got busy and I hardly ever saw you. It was like we hadn't even agreed to give the relationship a try at all."

"What about now?" Scarlett asked, leaning up to kiss him.

"That's more like it," Fred sighed, pulling away slightly.

Just as they were about to kiss a second time, there was a knock on the door.

"Seriously?" Fred groaned, flopping back into the couch cushions.

Scarlett glanced at the door before sighing, standing up and going to answer it. "Mum?"

"Hi, honey, can I come in?"

"Yeah, of course." Scarlett moved to the side and let her mother in before closing the door. She looked at Fred, who had stood up from his spot on the couch.

"Hi, Mrs. Callaway," he said.

"Hello, Fred," she replied.

"Mum, what's wrong?" Scarlett asked. "You look kind of worried."

"Well," her mother began, "I found out some news…."

Scarlett and Fred glanced at each other. "What kind of news?" Scarlett asked nervously.

"Well, as I'm sure you know, Umbridge has been back at the Ministry."

"Yeah, she's been there for months," Scarlett said slowly.

"What's she done now?" Fred asked angrily, crossing his arms.

"I've found out that in late August, she'll be starting the Muggleborn Registration Commission."

"What's that?" Scarlett asked in disgust, already knowing it wasn't anything good.

"She's going to be bringing Muggleborns in for questioning."

"About what?" Scarlett snorted.

"Most likely about where they got their magic from."

"Where they got their magic from," Scarlett repeated flatly.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Fred said, shaking his head.

"Can they get out of it?" Scarlett asked. "Can Muggleborns get out of going in for questioning?"

"No, unfortunately. Unless they go into hiding."

"Does Hermione know?" Scarlett asked.

Her mother shook her head. "No, nobody's supposed to know. It's how Umbridge is going to make sure less people run. She's going to spring it on them when it's time to start questioning them and I'm sure she'll have people working for her to try and round people up."

"How did _you_ find out if nobody's supposed to know?"

"Well, I was trying to get information for a story I had to write for work. Just stuff on what the Ministry's been doing and things like that and I found out that Umbridge was putting this together that way."

"Can't we do anything to stop her?" Fred asked.

Scarlett's mother hesitated. "Maybe. I'll have to think things through and let you know. But for now, I think it would be best if we kept this quiet. If it got out, it could mean trouble. Nobody's supposed to know yet. Umbridge would be furious if all the Muggleborns were able to prepare or go into hiding."

"But we have to at least tell Hermione!" Scarlett exclaimed. "And what about Justin?"

"No," her mother said firmly as Fred raised his eyebrows at Justin's name. "As much as I want to warn people, we can't get the news out just yet. I mean, for one thing, it can eventually be found out that I'm the one who figured all this out. That could cost me my job, which not only is a way for me to investigate Umbridge's plan, but it's something I can't afford to lose right now. Besides, who knows what Umbridge might do to me or even to you, Scarlett. You know how she is."

"Will warning two people make a difference?" Scarlett asked.

"Right now, yes. What if Justin or Hermione feel as if they need to warn other Muggleborns? The news will spread all over and Umbridge will know something's up when she has no one to question at all. As terrible as it is, _someone_ has to go face that woman when the time comes."

Scarlett sighed. "Okay, we'll keep our mouths shut."

"Not a word," Fred agreed.

Scarlett's mother nodded. "In the meantime, I'll try to think up ways to end this and stay as anonymous as possible." She sighed. "It won't be easy, though."

"Be careful," Scarlett said, "and if you need anything, let me know. I'm really glad you told me this."

"I thought you needed to know. Even if it doesn't directly affect you, well…it's Umbridge and I knew she wouldn't be gone for good."

"I know, and I'm still really glad you told me," Scarlett said.

With a weary smile, Scarlett's mother pulled her daughter into a tight hug before pulling Fred into one as well. "Go back to what you were doing," she said, her smile turning into a teasing one as she headed for the door. "Pretend I never interrupted."

"Mum!" Scarlett groaned, but her mother simply waved and shut the door behind her.

Scarlett took in a deep breath before turning to face Fred.

"You want to tell the Finch?" he asked. "Why?"

"I don't know. Up until this past August, we were fairly close. We dated, Fred. He should know. Besides, maybe it's the least I can do after what I did to him."

"You didn't do anything to him," Fred insisted firmly.

"Fred, I lied to him. For eleven whole months. I'm not going to deny it. No, I didn't cheat on him like he's claiming, but I did lie. If I warned him about what's happening, I could make up for it."

"Scar, you don't need to make up for anything. Besides, we promised your mother we wouldn't say anything."

"I know, I know," Scarlett sighed, sinking down onto the couch. "I just wish we could tell him and Hermione. Although I don't think Hermione would go into hiding and just leave Harry and Ron."

"Yeah, but she wouldn't give in to Umbridge either," Fred reasoned, sitting down next to her.

"True." Scarlett sighed again. "I just want everything to go back to normal before You-Know-Who came back and changed and ruined everything."

"He tends to do that, doesn't he?" Fred said with a small smile. "Look, you should really listen to your mother. Seriously, don't do anything stupid. Don't do anything that can get both of you in trouble."

"I don't know _what_ to do," Scarlett whispered. "I obviously don't want anything to happen to my mother, but I also don't want anything to happen to Hermione and Justin."

"And you think I do? Well, the Finch I could care less about, but—"

"Fred!" Scarlett scolded.

"Just listen to your mum, Scar. That's my opinion. Wait until she figures out what to do before you act."

"Who are you and what have you done with Fred Weasley?" Scarlett asked with a tiny smile. "Really, you don't sound like yourself."

Fred laughed. "I just don't want you or your mother to get hurt. Especially by Umbridge. She's already hurt _you_ enough."

Scarlett nodded. "You can say that again."

"So promise me you won't put yourself in danger," Fred said, picking up her hand and gingerly rubbing his thumb over it.

Scarlett was quiet for a few seconds as she stared at their hands. Finally she looked up and nodded. "Fine."

Fred smiled. "Just trying to keep you safe, Scar."

"It's appreciated," Scarlett whispered, leaning back into the couch.

Fred leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad," he whispered.

Later on, after Fred had left, Scarlett sat on her bed, chewing on a fingernail. She had just gotten a letter from Ginny that casually and innocently mentioned that there was a Hogsmeade trip the next day. That had, needless to say, gotten Scarlett thinking.

She knew she had made promises to both her mother and Fred that she would keep quiet and stay out of danger, but she felt awful knowing information so crucial and not warning Justin or Hermione. If she could get into Hogsmeade, she could warn Justin without having to write a letter and risk it either being intercepted or Justin seeing it was from her and not even reading it.

On the other hand, she couldn't help but worry about her mother. In no way did Scarlett want to put herself or her mother in danger. Her mother was basically the only family she had left. But the more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself that everything would be fine. If she only warned Justin and Hermione, she could swear them to secrecy and only two people would be on the run. Only two people would know beforehand. Umbridge wouldn't be able to tell _when _they found out or went into hiding. How would she know they had been tipped off? And even if she did suspect Scarlett and her mother, she couldn't prove it. Besides, she couldn't ensure everyone would come in for questioning. No matter who she had working for her, a few Muggleborns were bound to get away here and there.

Scarlett pulled her knees up to her chest and sighed as she came to a decision. She was going to go to Hogsmeade the next day and she was going to warn Justin.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know, Justin's sort of back. But really only sort of. I promise he's not going to come back into the story regularly, but he is going to make a few more appearances before the story's over.**

**Oh, and I also made a YouTube video/trailer for this story. It's nothing fantastic because I'm not all that great at editing and things like that, but I'll put a link in my profile in case anyone wants to watch it or if you just search Promise of a Lifetime fanfiction trailer on YouTube, it should come up.**

**And if anyone else is any better at editing videos and wants to give one a try, go for it. Like I said, I'm not very good at making them. **

**Anyway, I hope everyone likes the chapter! :)**


	44. Chapter 44

"_I know how it is when someone disappoints you. It's tempting to see things the way you wish they were instead of how they are."_

**-Robert (Enchanted)**

* * *

The next day, around noon, Scarlett was hiding at the very end of the path that Hogsmeade was on. She was standing at the side of the Hog's Head, the last building, and every so often she would peer around the corner and look for Justin in the crowd.

Finally, she saw him. He was walking with Ernie and Hannah towards the Three Broomsticks, which was across the street and a few buildings down. There was no way for Scarlett to get him to see her without bringing unwanted attention to herself. Casting a spell or yelling his name would only cause everyone in the area to see her, which was exactly what she didn't want.

Thinking fast, she did the first thing that seemed to make sense. She picked up a pebble and threw it with all her might at Justin. Amazingly, it hit him on the shoulder, causing him to jump and whirl around in fury.

With her heart pounding, Scarlett stepped out from behind the Hog's Head just enough so that Justin could see her. When he did, his expression became stony.

"Come here," Scarlett mouthed, waving him over. "Please?"

Justin turned to Ernie and Hannah, who hadn't noticed Scarlett and were standing in the doorway of the Three Broomsticks, holding the door open and giving Justin expectant looks. Justin said something to them. They nodded, shrugged and headed inside while Justin walked towards Scarlett.

"What do you want?" he asked curtly as he reached her.

"Come on, you're still in plain sight," Scarlett hissed. She reached out and pulled him behind the Hog's Head so that they were blocked from the main road. "Are you still mad at me?" she asked quietly.

Justin crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

"Okay, fine," Scarlett sighed, holding up her hands. "I'll just get to the point, then."

"Yeah, please do."

Scarlett glanced quickly over her shoulder before peering around the corner of the building. "My mother found something out," she whispered. "It's something that Umbridge is planning at the Ministry. Nobody's supposed to know, but I had to tell you."

"Well, what is it?" Justin asked, his stony expression fading and being replaced with one of slight fear and nervousness.

Scarlett took a deep breath. "Umbridge is going to start interrogating Muggleborns this August," she whispered.

"She's going to _what_?" Justin asked.

"Shh, please, Justin, keep it down. She's starting a Muggleborn Registration Commission. She's going to start questioning Muggleborns about 'where they got their magic'." She made quote marks in the air and rolled her eyes. No matter how many times she talked about it, the concept never got any less ridiculous. "The point is that it's dangerous. It's Umbridge we're talking about. I doubt many Muggleborns will make it out without getting their wands snapped."

"So…what do I do?" Justin asked slowly.

"I think you should go into hiding as soon as possible. Choose wisely and pick somewhere secluded, because Umbridge will most likely try to round up any Muggleborns who don't appear to be questioned. Your whole family should go, really, because they definitely won't be safe if you don't show up. I'm also going to need you to tell Hermione exactly what I told you. Today would be ideal. But you can't tell her in front of Harry, Ron, or anyone else. The two of you have to be sworn to secrecy. _No one_ can know."

"How am I supposed to get her away from Harry and Ron? They're going to be suspicious. I rarely talk to Hermione as it is and if I go asking to talk to her alone-"

"I don't know. You can figure something out. Use the old D.A. coins if you have to."

Justin studied her face as if he were looking for something to show that she was making this up. As if he expected her to burst into laughter at any moment. "Why are you here warning me?" he finally asked.

"Because," Scarlett replied, "I'm not going to let you be in danger. Despite what you seem to think, I do care about you."

Justin shook his head and looked away.

"It's true! Why do you complicate things so much?" Scarlett asked in frustration. She took a deep breath. "Look, I'm risking a lot by warning you. If Umbridge finds out that my mother and I knew about this ahead of time, we could both be in huge trouble. That's why you and Hermione can't tell a soul and I hope you understand that. If I didn't care, I wouldn't risk it. Trust me."

Justin simply stared at her, his face expressionless and his arms crossed as he processed everything she had said.

"It's up to you whether or not you want to listen to me," Scarlett continued, "but I just need you to promise me that you won't say anything to anyone besides Hermione. It's important."

"Can I tell my parents the truth when I bring them off into hiding with me?"

"Yes, I suppose you'll have to, but tell them how important it is to keep everything a secret."

"I don't think they'll be able to tell anyone if we're in hiding," Justin said, rolling his eyes. He really was being stubborn about this, but it was obvious that he was worried as well.

Scarlett looked at him pleadingly. "Justin, please," she whispered. "Promise me."

He didn't say anything for a moment. Finally, he just nodded.

Scarlett let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she whispered, beginning to slowly back away. "Like I said, it's up to you whether or not you want to take my advice and believe what I told you, but I just had to come warn you. And I'm sorry for hurting you. I really am. I wish you could understand how badly I feel about everything." With one last look back at him, Scarlett turned on the spot and Disapparated.

* * *

Scarlett walked out of St. Mungo's at the end of her shift one night in June, looking forward to going home and relaxing on the couch with a book and some tea, but when she arrived at her flat, she saw her mother and Erica standing outside, anxiously looking up and down the street. When they spotted her, they began gesturing for her to hurry up.

"What's going on?" Scarlett asked. Her thoughts immediately went to Umbridge and she felt her body flood with panic. She was still paranoid about Umbridge, no matter how many times she told herself it was ridiculous. Deep down, she knew that it probably wasn't such a ridiculous concept after all. In reality, her fears were actually somewhat plausible.

"Thank goodness you're here. We have to go to Hogwarts immediately," her mother answered. She pushed open the flat's front door. "Take off your Healer's coat and let's go."

"Why?" Scarlett asked as Erica began pulling on the sleeves of her coat in order to get it off faster. "What's going on?"

"Death Eaters managed to get inside and they're attacking the school," her mother responded in a rush. "The Order's naturally been called over to fight. Everyone else is already there, but I volunteered to come get you and Erica since I knew you'd be getting out of work soon."

Scarlett's mouth dropped open in shock as her brain buzzed crazily. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but she knew there wasn't time. Instead she settled on a rushed, "Yeah, okay, let's get going," before she shook her Healer's coat the rest of the way off and tossed it inside. Then, she, her mother and Erica joined hands and Apparated into Hogsmeade.

As they ran towards the front gates of Hogwarts, Scarlett's heart was beating wildly. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears and she felt as if she were on autopilot. She felt as if she had barely had time to breathe since she had returned from work and all she knew now was that Death Eaters were in Hogwarts, battling with her friends. Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Ron—they were all there and most likely fighting. The Order was there as well and that included Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Fleur, Lupin, Tonks, George and Fred. Now she, her mother and Erica were joining in. Everyone she cared about was going to be fighting and the prospect of losing any one of them scared her terribly. It was her biggest fear that only Fred knew everything about.

When the three girls arrived at Hogwarts a moment later, they were stopped in their tracks by the huge Dark Mark hanging in the air above the Astronomy Tower.

"Does that mean—is someone—oh, no," Scarlett whimpered, bringing her hands to her mouth in shock.

"Come on," her mother said, her voice shaking slightly. She kept her eyes on the Dark Mark for a moment longer before gesturing for Scarlett and Erica to follow her inside. Scarlett noticed her mother's hand was shaking as well.

The three of them started running up staircase after staircase, looking for any Death Eater that they could start hexing. After a moment, they rounded a corner and found what they were looking for. A group of masked Death Eaters were coming their way.

Things started happening so fast that Scarlett barely had time to think. She was firing spells left and right, simply trying to keep up with the spells the group of Death Eaters was shooting at her.

One of the Death Eaters cackled and Scarlett recognized the sound instantly. It was Bellatrix Lestrange.

"I've just remembered," Bellatrix laughed, pulling off her mask, "you're the little brat who used Levicorpus on me at the Ministry last year."

"Yeah, that was me," Scarlett replied through gritted teeth as she dodged Bellatrix's curses.

Bellatrix cackled again. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for the chance to repay you for that."

"No need," Scarlett answered breathlessly. It was getting harder and harder to dodge the rapid spells Bellatrix was shooting at her. She was vaguely aware that they were moving as they dueled and were practically in the next hallway over. Scarlett could no longer see her mother and Erica, which made her feel even more terrified. Battling Death Eaters was scary as it was, but with her best friend and her mother by her side, Scarlett had felt somewhat comforted.

"Oh, but there is," Bellatrix laughed. "There is most definitely a need to repay you."

She had backed Scarlett into a corner and was grinning gleefully while Scarlett was mentally cursing. She had clearly not been paying attention or else this wouldn't have happened. But while the situation wasn't ideal, it wasn't going to stop Scarlett from fighting.

"Stupefy!" The spell was definitely well-aimed, but Bellatrix was too fast and too good. She deflected the spell almost immediately, cackling the whole time. She lunged at Scarlett and pinned her against the wall, holding her there with an arm against her throat.

"Looks like you're in trouble now," she cackled, pointing her wand in Scarlett's face.

"Let me go," Scarlett gasped, squirming as she tried to get free.

Bellatrix cackled even louder and pressed her arm harder against Scarlett's throat. "You know, this might just be a better way to kill you. It's slower and I like it better that way."

Scarlett squeezed her eyes shut and tried to pry Bellatrix's arm off to no avail. The woman didn't look it, but she was pretty strong. Any second Scarlett was going to die. She couldn't breathe, she was struggling wildly to break out of Bellatrix's grasp, and her heart was racing, which wasn't going to do anything to help her. It was only going to make her struggle even more to get air into her lungs. She was going to die and Fred was going to die too. That thought alone caused her to struggle even harder to break free. She couldn't die when her life was linked to someone else's. If she was responsible for Fred's death, she would feel guilty about it even after she was gone, too.

"Stupefy!"

Bellatrix's hold on Scarlett disappeared completely and Scarlett crumpled to the floor. Opening her eyes and gasping for breath, she had just enough time to notice an unconscious Bellatrix before Fred had sprinted over and knelt down in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked breathlessly, putting his hands on her cheeks and studying her face as she continued to gasp for breath.

"Fine," she managed to choke out. Her eyes were watering and she didn't know if it was from being nearly strangled to death or if it was because she was on the verge of tears. It was probably a bit of both. "Fred, I'm—I'm so-,"

"No, I know what you're going to say, and don't apologize," Fred said. He leaned forward and quickly kissed her before pulling back and standing up, helping Scarlett to her feet as he did so. "Do you think you need to go to the hospital wing?"

"No," Scarlett said quickly. "I'm fine." She had nearly caught her breath now and she glanced down at Bellatrix. "She's surprisingly strong, you know."

"I'm not sure I am surprised, actually," Fred answered. He picked up her hand. "Come on, let's get out of here before she wakes up."

"Wait," Scarlett said, tugging his hand backwards. "What's going on? I still don't know exactly _why_ Death Eaters are attacking the school. There was no time for my mother to explain it to me. And who died? We saw the Dark Mark when we got here."

"It was there when I got here with George as well," Fred said. "As far as we know, nobody's died, but the Death Eaters sent the mark up anyway."

"Why? And why are they here?"

"Well, I briefly saw Ginny earlier, and she said something about Malfoy letting the Death Eaters into the castle."

"Malfoy?" Scarlett asked.

Fred nodded. "That's all I know. Now, seriously, let's get out of here." He glanced at Bellatrix and took Scarlett's hand again. This time, she went with him without any further questions.

Fred and Scarlett stayed close to one another for the remainder of the battle. Scarlett wished she would run into her mother or Erica again, but things were too chaotic. Even though it was impossible, Scarlett wished that there was a way to know what was going on with everyone else.

At one point, about an hour later, Fred and Scarlett were dueling two Death Eaters at the end of a corridor and a group of Death Eaters ran past that included Bellatrix and Fenrir Greyback. Scarlett blinked as she registered that Snape and Malfoy were with them. Bellatrix and Greyback looked gleeful, which wasn't a good sign. Snape looked stony faced and determined while Malfoy just looked shell-shocked.

"Come on, we're leaving," Snape said, gesturing to the two Death Eaters dueling Scarlett and Fred. "It's over. It's time to go."

"They're leaving? Just like that?" Scarlett whispered to Fred as the Death Eaters continued walking down the hallway. "Odd, isn't it?"

"It's almost as if whatever they came here for is finished," Fred answered, looking at her, his eyes wide.

Just then, Harry came tearing down the hallway, racing in the direction Snape and the other Death Eaters had gone.

"Harry?" Scarlett called, blinking. He didn't answer her or even turn around.

"I'd really like to know what in the world is going on," Fred said.

"Come on." Scarlett grabbed his hand and, together, they ran after Harry. They made it to the marble staircase before they were stopped by Tonks.

"What's going on?" Scarlett asked her.

"The battle's over. All the Death Eaters have left."

"Why? It was all so sudden."

"I'm not quite sure yet. I'm hoping to get information on that soon, but I'm actually glad I found you two. Bill's in the hospital wing."

Scarlett felt the color drain from her face and she imagined what she was feeling was no comparison to how Fred felt. When she glanced up at him, his eyes were wide and his mouth was opening and closing like a fish.

"Come on, I'll walk up there with you and explain as we go." The three of them headed for the hospital wing as Tonks began telling them what she knew. "Remus brought him to Madame Pomfrey about halfway through the battle. He was attacked by Greyback."

Fred let out a noise somewhere between a groan and a whimper.

"It looks pretty bad," Tonks said softly, glancing at Fred. "His face is badly scratched and it'll scar."

"But will he be a werewolf?" Fred asked.

Tonks shook her head. "Remus said he shouldn't be. Tonight wasn't a full moon, so Greyback wasn't a fully transformed werewolf. However, Bill will probably have some wolf-like tendencies from now on and his face will be badly scarred."

They had reached the hospital wing by now and when they entered the room, Scarlett saw Lupin, George, Luna, Ron and Hermione gathered around a bed at the other end of the ward. Erica and Scarlett's mother were already there as well and they both let out obvious sighs of relief when they saw Scarlett.

"Scarlett," her mother gasped, rushing to give her daughter a hug. "Are you all right?"

"Fine, mum, really," she said, returning the hug tightly as Fred continued to walk towards Bill's bed.

"It's bad," Scarlett's mother whispered as she and her daughter followed him.

"I heard," Scarlett answered, trying as hard as she could to calm her nerves and swallow the lump in her throat. When she reached the end of the ward and finally saw Bill, she gasped and her eyes widened. His face was terribly cut up and looked awfully bloody despite the fact that Madame Pomfrey was cleaning it.

Scarlett tore her eyes away from Bill to look at Fred. His face had drained of all color and his lip was trembling slightly as he watched Madame Pomfrey treating the long gashes covering the side of his brother's face.

Every occupant of the room was silent and oddly still, except for Madame Pomfrey, who continued to bustle about. It must have been a minute or two later when the door opened again, and everyone turned at once to see who it was.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped, running to hug her friend, who was accompanied by Ginny and looking positively dreadful.

"Are you all right?" Lupin asked.

"Fine. How's Bill?"

Nobody answered. It was hard to give an answer, really. Bill certainly looked terrible, but it was hard to say what the exact effects of the attack were going to be since it hadn't been a full moon. Like Lupin had told Tonks, Bill might be fine except for his scars and a few werewolf tendencies. However, nobody would be sure until he woke up.

"Can't you heal the cuts with a charm or something?" Harry asked.

"No charm can heal these," Madame Pomfrey replied.

"Dumbledore might know something," Ron said, looking around. "I mean, he's the one that called in the Order, wasn't he? He's the reason why Bill's here. He can't leave him like this. Not that he would anyway, but…."

"Ron, Dumbledore's dead," Ginny said.

"No," Lupin gasped, shaking his head violently as if he were trying to get water out of his ears.

Harry nodded slightly and Lupin paled and collapsed into a chair.

Scarlett's brain was buzzing. Dumbledore was dead. It seemed impossible. She had known he was old and certainly not invincible, but at the same time, it seemed as if he would never die. His death must have been the reason for the Dark Mark. But when had it happened? How? And most importantly, why?

"How did it happen?" Tonks asked, succeeding in what Scarlett was failing at—actually getting the words to come out of her mouth.

"Snape killed him. I saw it. I was there. Dumbledore and I had arrived back on the Astronomy Tower because that's where the Mark was, but then I think Dumbledore realized it was a trap because we heard footsteps coming up the stairs almost immediately."

"So they sent the Mark up before Dumbledore actually died?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah, so they could lure him there to kill him. I was under the invisibility cloak and Dumbledore immobilized me. Then Malfoy came and disarmed him."

Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth in shock as Ron groaned.

Harry continued to explain what had happened after that and how Snape and a group of Death Eaters arrived and how Snape had killed Dumbledore, causing him to fall from the highest tower of Hogwarts.

Soon after Harry finished his story, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley barged into the room with Fleur hot on their heels. The worry etched on their faces was indescribable. It was worry and fear of the utmost intensity, something that Scarlett wouldn't wish on anyone.

"How is he?" Mr. Weasley asked as his wife took over Madame Pomfrey's job of treating the cuts on Bill's face.

"We're fairly certain that he'll be okay," Lupin said.

Even at this news, Mrs. Weasley began to cry softly, never tearing her eyes away from Bill's injured cheek.

"And is it true about Dumbledore?" Mr. Weasley asked.

It was Harry who nodded. "I was there. It was Snape."

The room was thrown into silence once again. Mr. Weasley was staring intently at the ground as he processed the fact that Dumbledore was really dead. Mrs. Weasley was still treating Bill's face as tears quietly streamed down her face.

"It doesn't really matter how he looks," she said suddenly. "It's not what's really important, but he was always such a handsome boy. And he was about to be married, too!"

"And what exactly do you mean by zat?" Fleur asked, speaking for the first time. "You thought I would not want to marry heem anymore? What do I care how he looks? I am good looking enough for the both of us, I theenk! Besides, these scars show that my husband eez brave! And I weel do that!" She snatched the cleaning potion from Mrs. Weasley and took over treating Bill's face.

Mrs. Weasley simply blinked a few times. Scarlett found herself holding her breath, waiting for Mrs. Weasley to begin screaming and telling Fleur off. Instead, she did the opposite.

"Our great-aunt Muriel has a lovely goblin-made tiara that I'm sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. It would look beautiful with your hair."

"That would be lovely," Fleur answered, continuing to dab at Bill's face.

There was a brief pause, and then both women were crying and hugging each other while everyone else looked on in amusement and slight shock.

"Mental," Fred muttered as Scarlett's mouth twitched into the tiniest of smiles.

It was decided that Dumbledore's funeral would be held in two days out by the lake. The Weasleys, Scarlett, and her mother agreed to stay at Hogwarts until the funeral. Professor McGonagall promised to make room for them all in Gryffindor tower. Scarlett didn't even bother making the point that she had been in Hufflepuff. Insisting that she go back to her own dorm would mean that she would be spending the night with people she didn't feel like she even belonged with anymore. It would also mean most likely seeing Justin, which she wasn't up to right now.

It was well after midnight by the time Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Erica and Scarlett finally made their way to the Gryffindor common room. Harry had gone with McGonagall to talk in her office and Fleur, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had stayed behind in the hospital wing with Bill. Neville was also staying in the hospital wing overnight due to an injury he had sustained to his leg.

"It's amazing that you managed to stay safe," Scarlett said, glancing at Ron, Hermione and Ginny as they walked. "Luna and Neville, too. It was really some battle."

"I'll say," Erica agreed. "Those Death Eaters are _good_. I swear, I wonder where I'd be if I hadn't joined the D.A. last year and actually learned the spells I'd have otherwise missed out on."

"Harry gave us his Felix Felicis," Ginny explained. "You know, the liquid luck potion? He won it in Potions class. Anyway, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Neville and I split it between us. I think that helped a lot. We were supposed to call back the remaining members of the D.A. and give some to them as well, but…."

"But what?" Scarlett asked, raising an eyebrow as she wondered what Ginny was going to say. The youngest Weasley looked as if she were unsure if she should say what was on her mind.

"Nobody else showed up when we used the coins to call them," Hermione chimed in, looking at Scarlett.

"I don't understand. Why does it look like you're almost afraid to tell me?"

"Because Justin was part of the D.A. and he didn't show up. None of the Hufflepuffs did," Ginny said. "I thought that would upset you."

Scarlett looked down at her hands. She could feel Fred's eyes on her, waiting to hear if she was actually upset or not. He still didn't know that Scarlett had gone to warn Justin about Umbridge. As far as he knew, she hadn't spoken to her ex-boyfriend in nearly a year.

"Well, I suspect Ernie and Hannah stayed behind because Justin did. They're his closest friends," Scarlett finally said with a weary sigh.

"But that doesn't explain why Justin didn't show up," Ginny mused. "I mean we needed all the help we could get!"

"I know," Scarlett answered, "but I don't think the D.A. meant as much to Justin as it meant to us. Besides, I think he may have thought he'd run into me if he came to help. It would have been awkward, but I honestly don't think we'd have time to even dwell on it. Tonight wasn't about us. There wasn't _time_ to think about us. Bigger things needed to be worried about."

"Was that your way of saying he was acting like an immature, selfish git?" Fred asked, a grin spreading over his face.

Scarlett simply shrugged.

"I'm taking that as a yes and I'm officially thrilled. I never thought I'd see the day where you'd trash talk him."

"I know, right?" Erica jumped in with a snort. "Usually he does no wrong."

Scarlett still didn't answer. She was in no mood to defend Justin or even talk about him anymore. She was tired of it. It was also a constant reminder that she had broken her promise to Fred about warning Justin when she really just wanted to forget it. She chanced a glance at Hermione, who was silent and pretending as if she didn't know anything. For that, Scarlett was grateful. She knew Hermione wouldn't break her word and she also knew she was smart enough to not spill the secret Scarlett had told her through Justin. Apparently, she was also smart enough to realize that nobody knew what Scarlett had done.

"Maybe it's good that he didn't show up," Fred continued. "We don't need his kind of help anyway."

The rest of the trip to the Gryffindor common room was silent. Ginny gave the password to get in and the six of them entered the room.

"I expect there's an extra few beds put up in my dorm for you two," Hermione said to Erica and Scarlett.

"Good, because I'm exhausted," Erica yawned, stretching her arms above her head before turning to her best friend. "Will you actually be taking the bed set out for you or will you be saving the house elves some sheet-washing by sharing with Fred?"

"I like that idea," Fred grinned. He wrapped his arms around Scarlett from behind and kissed her cheek. "I'm all for house elf rights. Spew and all that. Right, Hermione?" He looked up at her and winked cheekily.

"Oh, please, you laughed in my face when I first mentioned _S.P.E.W_ to you. That's _S.P.E.W_ by the way, not _spew_," Hermione huffed, turning red and crossing her arms.

Fred raised his eyebrows. "Apparently still a touchy subject."

"I don't know, Fred," Scarlett said, rubbing her eyes. "Maybe I'll just go sleep in the girls' dorm."

"We're not going to get in trouble or anything," Fred told her. "Nobody will care."

"I'll care," George teased.

Scarlett simply shrugged. She was tired, but she felt as if she wasn't going to be able to sleep a wink. There was just too much going on.

"Okay, well while you two work everything out, we're going to bed," Erica said. "Honestly, I can't wait around forever." She smiled, dramatically turned on her heel and headed for the dormitory stairs with the others.

"Goodnight you two," George teased in a singsong voice, winking over his shoulder at Fred and Scarlett. "Don't stay up too late."

When the common room had finally emptied, Fred dropped his arms from around Scarlett and looked down at her as she turned to look at him. "Okay, so what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Scarlett did her best to look as if she actually had no idea what he meant. Truthfully, she had a pretty good idea.

"You've been oddly quiet tonight. Usually you never shut up, but tonight….And you didn't defend the Finch earlier either."

"I'm just sick of talking about him, I guess. Why does everything have to revolve around him?"

"It doesn't," Fred answered quickly, looking taken aback. He cleared his throat. "It was just something I noticed."

"Fred, tonight's been awful. I'm just not in the mood to talk. Dumbledore's dead and Bill's been attacked…." She trailed off and walked around the couch, taking a seat on the comfy red cushions. She let out a heavy sigh and sat back, staring vaguely at the ceiling.

"How are you feeling?" Fred asked, sitting down beside her. "You know, after Bellatrix practically strangled you."

"I'm still alive, aren't I? That's all I can ask for."

"Have you told your mother?"

Scarlett shook her head. There had been too much going on to tell her mother what had happened. Plus, it seemed kind of silly in the aftermath of what had happened to Bill and Dumbledore.

"It's probably better that way," Fred said, stretching and changing his position so that he was lying on the couch. He wormed his feet behind Scarlett's back and smiled up at her. "Lie down," he said, reaching up and grabbing her arm. He pulled her down beside him and she snuggled against his chest as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Remember when we made that pinky promise on this couch last year?" Scarlett asked, her voice quiet.

"Mm," Fred answered as he rubbed a thumb back and forth over her hipbone and gently kissed the back of her neck.

"Can you make me another promise?" Scarlett asked.

"Of course. Anything."

"Promise me that everything will be okay." She knew it was an impossible thing to promise and she knew Fred knew it, too. That's why his answer practically melted her heart.

"I can't promise something I can't control, Scar. Things aren't always going to be okay during this war and we both know it. But I can promise you that I'll do my best to make things as okay as possible. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're happy."

Scarlett smiled and laced her fingers through his, giving his hand a squeeze as she did so. A few minutes later, the urge to sleep was too powerful and she dozed off with a smile still evident on her face.

* * *

**A/N: I'm actually kind of nervous about this chapter. It was one of those chapters that just insists on being difficult. I originally wasn't going to have Scarlett go to Hogwarts for the battle, but then I thought why shouldn't she? Besides that, I'm not very good at writing battle scenes either, but I did try my best. Hopefully everyone likes it. :)**


	45. Chapter 45

"_That's a piecrust promise. Easily made, easily broken."_

**-Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins)**

* * *

When Scarlett had gone to warn Justin about Umbridge, she hadn't expected to hear from him again. She didn't even really expect him to take her advice. All she wanted was for him to know so that she could stop worrying. Although, once she had told him the news, Scarlett found herself worrying about other things. She fully realized that her actions could have major consequences and she also realized she had broken her promise to Fred and her mother. What would happen if they found out what she did? She also wondered about what would happen if Umbridge _did_ come after her or her mother. How far would the toad go?

And then she found herself worrying about Dumbledore's death and what that would mean. She felt that the entire wizarding world had just become a lot more vulnerable.

Dumbledore's funeral was almost eerily surreal to witness. It seemed like the entire school was there in addition to Order members and former students. Even centaurs came out of the forest and the merpeople stuck their heads out of the lake.

Scarlett saw Justin sitting on the other side of the crowd and did her best to try not to make eye contact. She prayed that he wouldn't see her or decide to come over and talk to her, spilling the beans about what she had told him in the process. That was all she needed right now. Thankfully, she made it through the funeral without any contact with him. She didn't even know if he had seen her. He must have known she was there, though. But it didn't matter. It was probably for the best that they didn't talk to each other.

By the time the beginning of July had rolled around, Scarlett's worrying had lessoned. She was beginning to think that Fred and her mother would never have to know that she had met up with Justin. However, now she constantly had Dumbledore's death on her mind and the fact that things were definitely getting a lot worse.

She and Fred hadn't discussed their wedding in much detail. They had discussed having a quick wedding somewhere, but there were a few roadblocks. Firstly, there was there was the decision of how exactly to break the news to Mrs. Weasley and secondly, it was going to be hard to find someone to marry them. Usually, certain Ministry officials could marry people, but Scarlett wasn't comfortable with going to or contacting the Ministry while Umbridge was there. She hadn't specified why exactly, but Fred didn't ask. He simply thought Scarlett didn't want Umbridge to find out about the vow. _He_ certainly didn't want her to find out, so they were actually in agreement. "I bet she'd have a field day," he had said with an eye roll.

One day, during the second week of July, Scarlett was spending time with Fred at her flat. She was lying on the floor in the middle of the living room, trying to push Fred off of her as he tickled her sides. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door that caused them both to freeze.

"Don't answer it," Fred said, using one hand to firmly hold Scarlett's wrists above her head.

"I have to. It could be important." Scarlett tilted her head up and gently gave Fred a kiss. "We'll continue this later."

"Sounds good," Fred grinned as another knock came from the door.

After Fred had let her up, Scarlett straightened her shirt and fixed her hair before going to answer the door. Immediately, her heart rate quickened and a wave of panic shot through her. "Justin," she whispered.

Fred appeared behind Scarlett and shot Justin a look of disgust. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I could ask _you_ the same thing, but then again, I already know the answer," Justin shot back, meeting Fred's eyes and shooting him a similar look of contempt.

"Do _not _say it's because Scarlett cheated on you," Fred snapped. "Yeah, I know what you think happened and I also know what you said to Angelina."

"She had to know," Justin replied casually, shrugging and making a face that said it wasn't a big deal.

"About the vow, yes, but as for the cheating idea, that's a lie and deep down, I think you know it. Besides, it's not your place to tell Angelina anything."

"We used to be friends," Justin said. "We live near each other and we were friends before Hogwarts."

"But you aren't friends anymore."

"Fred, just-," Scarlett began, tugging on his sleeve. However, it didn't do much because he didn't move.

"That doesn't mean I stopped caring," Justin snapped. "Isn't that right? Isn't that what you said to me during school?"

Fred simply glared at Justin, seemingly at a loss for words, while Justin smirked and crossed his arms.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Fred growled, taking a step forward and looking down at Justin.

"Make me."

"No, stop, that's enough," Scarlett said, stepping between them and pushing Fred back. "Maybe you should go back inside and let me deal with Justin," she whispered.

"He shouldn't even be here," Fred said, ignoring Scarlett's suggestion and continuing to glare at Justin. "I was under the impression that he wasn't talking to you."

"I'm only here because I wanted to thank Scarlett and let her know where I'm going," Justin replied, keeping his tone formal, stiff and almost emotionless.

"What are you-?" Fred began.

"Where?" Scarlett interrupted, freezing in her attempt to push Fred back inside and turning to look at Justin.

"My aunt and uncle's house," Justin replied, just as formally as before. "My dad's brother and his wife."

"The ones that stayed with you when—"

"Yeah," Justin answered quickly.

Scarlett nodded. "Okay."

"I told Hermione as well. She said to thank you for warning her, and that she's going to stick with Harry and Ron no matter what, even if it includes not going into hiding."

"Sorry, but _what_ is going on?" Fred asked impatiently. He looked at Scarlett. "Do _not_ tell me you did what I think you did."

"You mean she didn't tell you before?" Justin taunted, smirking and raising his eyebrows. He actually looked annoyingly gleeful.

"Justin, don't," Scarlett told him firmly.

"I just find it amusing that he doesn't know what's going on. I thought you two were so _close_ and told each other _everything_."

"Yeah, I thought the same thing," Fred said, crossing his arms and looking at Scarlett.

"Wow, look at that, we actually agree on something," Justin said in an overly dramatic, incredulous tone.

"Justin, I think you should go if all you're going to do is taunt Fred," Scarlett said, whipping around to glare at him. She was nervous and stressed about how she was going to deal with Fred and all Justin was doing was making it worse. She needed him to leave so she could think straight without him taunting Fred from the background. Then again, this was her own fault and she now had to face the consequences.

"Fine, I'll leave," Justin replied. "It looks like you two need to talk, anyway. Good luck with that." Smirking, he turned and walked away, never looking back once.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Scarlett shut the door with a little more force than necessary. When she turned around, Fred was staring at her expectantly.

"You went to warn him about Umbridge questioning Muggleborns, didn't you?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did," she mumbled, looking down and playing with the hem of her shirt. After a few seconds, she looked up again. "But I told him to warn Hermione, too."

"Why? You know how much trouble you and your mother can get into. You _promised_ you wouldn't go."

"I know, but I had to." Scarlett looked at him pleadingly, begging him to understand. He was standing stiffly with his arms crossed and his jaw set, but Scarlett could see from the look in his eyes that he was hurt.

"I can see why you would want to tell Hermione, but the Finch? He's not worth it."

"Look, Fred, I know that's what you think, but I disagree."

"Why? He treated you like dirt."

"No, I treated _him_ like dirt."

"His reaction when you broke up with him—"

"Maybe I deserved it."

"Scar, we discussed this!" Fred exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration and angrily walking to the other side of the room. "You _didn't_ deserve it."

"And Justin didn't deserve to be strung along for eleven months." All Scarlett wanted to do was cross the room and hug Fred and put this whole disagreement behind them, but she also refused to change how she felt. She refused to regret it or apologize for what she had done and Fred needed to understand that.

Fred turned away from her and began examining the pictures Scarlett had arranged on the far wall. "I don't get why you keep defending him," he finally said, lightly dragging his thumb along a picture of an eleven year old Scarlett holding up her Hogwarts letter and peering excitedly at the camera over the top. "I mean, he seems pretty messed up if you ask me."

"Yeah, well maybe I am, too," Scarlett whispered, shrugging one shoulder.

"You're not." Fred quickly turned to look at her without removing his hand from the picture frame. He shook his head. "You're not," he repeated in a whisper.

"Justin's a good person, Fred. He's not perfect, but neither is anyone else."

"Do you still like him?"

"No!" Scarlett threw up her hands in exasperation. "I like _you_, Fred, but that doesn't mean I don't care about Justin. I'm not going to hate him." She watched as Fred shrugged and looked away. "Fred," she whispered, "Justin and I are really over. You know that right? Vow or no vow, I still want to be with you. I don't want to get back together with him and I _know_ he doesn't want to get back together with me. You don't have to feel insecure about that."

"I'm not insecure," Fred insisted, looking back at her and shaking his head violently. "And that's great that you feel that way, but you still lied."

"I didn't lie, I just didn't tell you."

"That's not much better! Didn't you get upset with me for not telling you the truth about breaking up with Angelina?" Fred's voice was rising again and while Scarlett understood that he was hurt, she also wished he would stop yelling.

"Yes, but this is different!"

"I'm not so sure. You promised you wouldn't say anything. You made a promise to me and then you turned around and broke it as if it wasn't worth anything. As if you knew you were going to tell the Finch the whole time and only promised in the first place to shut me up! Is that what I'm worth to you, Scarlett?"

"No, of course not! I hated lying to you, but—"

"When did you tell him?"

"The day after my mother gave us the news. There was a Hogsmeade trip the next day."

Fred let out an exasperated groan and turned away again. "I think you need to make a choice, Scar. Me or the Finch."

"I already have, Fred, don't you get it? I chose you! But that doesn't mean I stop caring about everyone else. Have you completely stopped caring for Angelina? If she were in danger, would you warn her?"

"Not if it put my family in danger!"

"Really? Well, you wouldn't at least feel conflicted? You wouldn't feel torn?"

Fred didn't answer. He looked away again and stared at the pictures on the wall.

"Look, I'm sure Umbridge won't notice if two people don't show up for questioning," Scarlett said quietly.

"I think she will. Especially if it's two people you're close to. She'll make the connection."

"How will she even realize we knew beforehand? She can't prove it."

Fred turned back to look at her, his expression almost pained. "She'll figure it out. She knows your mum's a journalist."

Scarlett sighed and chewed on her lip as she stared at her feet. "If she finds out, I'll take the blame. It _was_ me who told people after all. I'll make sure my mum gets off the hook."

"Are you sure that will even work? If Umbridge wants to go after your mother, I'm not sure anything can stop her."

"I can at least try, can't I?"

"I just don't see why you had to deliberately put yourself in danger when you could have simply avoided it and kept quiet. I mean, if Hermione's planning on sticking with Harry anyway, then fine, but the Finch…."

"A lot of people are going to run when the news officially gets out. I really don't think Umbridge will even know I'm the one who told them."

"What if she just wants an excuse to come after you again so she just acts upon an accusation that she thinks she made up but actually happens to be true?"

Scarlett looked up and met Fred's blue eyes from across the room. "You think she'd do that?" she asked, her voice coming out in a whisper. "She hasn't done anything to me in months. Besides, she's not even my teacher anymore."

"That doesn't mean she can't do anything to you. Scar, I—" Fred broke off and took a deep breath before exhaling and looking up at the ceiling.

"You what?" Scarlett asked.

Fred didn't move or speak for a few seconds. "Nothing," he finally said. "Just forget it. I just—I care about you. I don't want anything bad to happen."

Scarlett smiled and slowly crossed the room. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "You're adorable when you're concerned," she whispered.

"Are you trying to get on my good side by complimenting me?" Fred asked, gently moving a piece of hair off her face.

"Is it working?"

"Maybe…but I'm serious, Scar. I want you to stay safe." He cupped her face in his hands and gently stroked her cheeks with his thumbs.

"I'll be fine." Scarlett smiled reassuringly, putting a hand on top of one of his. She figured she could at least try to look calm, despite the fact that she knew deep down that Fred had a point and it scared her. But she wasn't going to let him see that.

"You can't know that for sure."

"I thought you didn't worry."

"I _try_ not to, but it doesn't mean I don't care. You know that. Besides, it's not as if this was inevitable. You could have controlled it."

"Yes, but I didn't _want _to. I wanted to warn Justin. But it doesn't matter now. It's done and there's nothing we can do about it. I made my decision and I'm prepared to live with it."

Fred sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Are you still mad at me?"

Fred looked down at her and studied her face as he thought about his answer. "I guess I'm still a little hurt but…." He trailed off and stared at a random point across the room.

"But what?" Scarlett asked, reaching up and putting a hand on his cheek, causing him to look back at her.

"Deep down, I suppose I realize why you did it. That doesn't mean I like it, though."

"I know you don't, but I appreciate you understanding."

"Do I have permission to hurt Umbridge as severely as possible if she comes after you?"

Scarlett giggled. "As long as _you_ don't get yourself hurt."

"So it's okay for you to put yourself in danger, but I can't?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mhm," Scarlett said, nodding as her mouth curled into a small smile.

"Don't worry about me, though," Fred said. "I'm an expert on pranks and sneaking around. I'm the one who never gets caught, remember?"

Scarlett laughed before tilting her head and narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. "I just don't understand why you have to deliberately put yourself in danger when it can be avoided."

"Are you mocking me?"

"No, of course not."

"I think you are."

"I disagree."

Fred sighed. "Is there any use in arguing with you?"

"Nope," Scarlett grinned.

Fred leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I didn't think so," he whispered.

* * *

"You're joking."

"No, I'm actually not." Fred looked seriously up at Scarlett from his position on the couch as she stood in front of him with her hands on her hips. They were at his flat one night towards the end of July. George was out getting groceries to restock the nearly empty fridge, leaving Fred and Scarlett alone to talk.

Fred had written to Scarlett asking her to come over after work. He had said he had news for her. This news turned out to be the fact that a group of Order members were going to collect Harry from his aunt and uncle's house the following Monday and bring him to the Burrow, which was going to be heavily charmed. This way, Harry would be safe from You-Know-Who trying to attack his aunt and uncle's house once the charm broke there. Fred had just explained the plan in detail to Scarlett, leaving her in shock.

"Do you think the plan will work?" Scarlett asked.

"Mad-Eye seems to think it will. Supposedly, You-Know-Who doesn't even know that we're moving Harry on Monday. And even if he figured it out, there will be six of us disguised as Harry, plus the real one flying around. You-Know-Who won't know which one's which."

"But what if he injures one of the fake Harrys? What if he _does_ manage to somehow get the real one?"

"That's a chance we're all taking," Fred answered as Scarlett took a seat next to him on the couch.

"Why didn't Mad-Eye ask _me_ to help?"

Fred shrugged and glanced at her. "We only needed a total of seven Harrys. You weren't there to volunteer. You were—"

"Working, I know," Scarlett said bitterly.

"Nothing wrong with that." Fred shrugged a second time. "Besides, Ginny's not going either."

"Yeah, but she _can't_. She's underage. I'm of age and more than willing to go."

"I know, but don't worry about it, okay? It's better this way, really."

"So basically I'm supposed to sit around at home worrying about whether or not you and a bunch of other people I care about are safe?"

"No, you don't have to do that," Fred said. When Scarlett looked at him with a raised eyebrow, he continued with a small smile. "You'll sit at the Burrow and worry."

Scarlett snorted and looked away. He knew how she felt about losing someone all over again and it irritated her that he was gallivanting off on dangerous rescue missions as if he weren't afraid at all. But then she hated herself for thinking that. It was almost selfish, really. It wasn't Fred's fault. It wasn't _anybody's_ fault. Of course Fred was going to go. It only made sense. Besides, Scarlett wasn't the only person afraid of losing someone. Everyone was. It was just that sometimes she felt as if the prospect worried her a whole lot more than it worried everyone else.

"This is as good as you're going to get," Fred told her. "You can bring Erica. Plus, Ginny and my mother will be there. Sirius, too. You'll have other people around and when I come back safe and sound, you can be the first one to greet me. Sound good?"

Scarlett sighed and leaned back into the couch, lifting her legs and resting her sock-clad feet on the coffee table. "No, not entirely, but I suppose under the circumstances…."

"Exactly," Fred said, smiling and patting her knee. "And besides, after this is all over, we have Harry's birthday dinner on Friday and the wedding on Saturday. You are coming to both, aren't you?"

"Yes, I said I would, didn't I?" Scarlett replied.

"Just making sure," Fred grinned.

Just then, George returned with the groceries in his arms. Scarlett craned her neck and to look at him and waved half-heartedly. "Hi, George."

"Hey," he said, peering over the bags at her. He looked at Fred. "Did you tell her?"

"He did," Scarlett sighed, turning back around and staring blankly at the wall.

"It'll be okay, Scar," George called over his shoulder as he made his way to the kitchen. Scarlett heard him putting things away.

"You don't know that," she called back.

"I do," George said. He walked back into the living room and sat on the arm of the couch beside Scarlett. "Do you want to know how I know?"

"How?" Scarlett sighed, not even turning to look at him.

"Because it's a good plan and we've gone over it a million times in the past few days. We're prepared."

"You're prepared for every possible thing to go wrong?"

"Look, if You-Know-Who does come after us, we'll fight the best we can," Fred assured her. He put a hand on her knee. "I'll be careful. We all will, I promise, but especially me. I haven't forgotten that if anything happens to me, you're in trouble."

"It's kind of a difficult thing to forget," Scarlett muttered, picking imaginary lint off of her shirt. "Besides, just because you're careful doesn't mean you're guaranteed safety."

"Is that why you're worried?" Fred asked quietly.

"Well, of course, but I also don't want you to get hurt because, it's, well…you." Scarlett glanced at him before looking back at the wall in front of her.

"That's sweet, Scar. I'm touched, really."

"It's good to know who the least favorite twin is," George muttered, crossing his arms and smirking.

"Come on, Georgie," Scarlett said, cracking a smile as she turned to look at him. "You know I worry about you, too."

"Sometimes I'm not so sure," George sighed, looking up at the ceiling sadly.

"I swear, the two of you can be _so_ dramatic," Scarlett huffed.

"You love us," the twins said together as they simultaneously leaned forward and each kissed one of Scarlett's cheeks.

"Gross," Scarlett teased, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Most girls would pass out if both of us kissed them at the same time," George said with a smile.

"Yeah, because you're so disgusting," Scarlett replied, trying to hide her own smile.

"Mm, no, I was thinking the opposite, really," George said.

Scarlett shoved him, causing him to fall off the arm of the couch and topple to the floor.

"Thanks, Scar, you're really too kind," George groaned as Fred laughed.

"I know I am," Scarlett replied, leaning back into the couch and grinning as she picked up Fred's hand and began tracing circles into his palm.

* * *

Scarlett arrived at the Burrow at exactly four in the afternoon on July 27th. She had dragged Erica along with her, despite her friend's complaints that it wasn't necessary for them to go over just yet.

"Seriously, Scar, they aren't leaving to get Harry for another three hours," she whined as they walked towards the front door.

"I know, but I couldn't sit around at home anymore. I'm too nervous."

"Of course." Erica offered up nothing more than an eye roll at Scarlett's confession.

"Aren't you?" Scarlett asked, shooting her friend a look and seriously wondering if her best friend had some sort of odd brain mechanism that didn't allow nervousness.

Erica didn't answer right away. "Yeah, actually, I am," she finally whispered.

"I thought so," Scarlett answered, sending a knowing look at her friend. "Besides, if we arrive after Mad-Eye gets here, he'll have already set up the extra security charms and we'd have to Apparate further back and have someone meet us there to walk us to the house. It's a whole lot of inconvenience."

"I suppose you have a point," Erica replied, sighing dramatically. She was quiet for a minute as she looked up at the tall, crooked house. "So, this is the Burrow, huh?" she asked.

"Mm," Scarlett nodded. "I forgot that you've never been here before."

"I like it. It suits the Weasleys, don't you think?"

"I do," Scarlett nodded as she knocked on the Burrow's front door. A few seconds later, it swung open to reveal a slightly frantic looking Mrs. Weasley.

"I'm so glad the two of you are here!" she exclaimed, ushering them inside.

"See, she's glad we're here," Scarlett whispered to Erica.

"Scarlett, you know the way up to Ginny's room," Mrs. Weasley said, gesturing to the stairs. "Everyone else should be arriving in the next hour or two. Then Mad-Eye will put up the extra charms and he'll want to go over the plan once more…and after that, they'll be on their way." She smiled, but it was clearly forced.

"It'll all be okay, Mrs. Weasley," Scarlett said, patting the redheaded woman's shoulder. She tried to manage a comforting smile despite how nervous she was herself.

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "I'm sure it will be, dear."

"What's this?" Erica asked.

Scarlett and Mrs. Weasley turned to see Erica examining the clock on the mantle.

"Oh, I've had that clock for years," Mrs. Weasley said, waving her hand. "It was a wedding gift from Arthur's parents. It tells where everyone in the family is. Each hand on the clock belongs to a family member as you can see. Originally, it only had two hands on it—one for me and one for Arthur. Once we started having kids, Arthur's father would bring over a new hand, fit it onto the clock and charm it to work."

They stood in silence for a few seconds, staring at the clock. Each and every hand was pointing to "mortal peril."

"That's encouraging," Erica said.

"It's been like that for quite some time now," Mrs. Weasley sighed. After a short pause, she spoke again. "Anyway, head right on up, girls. Ginny's looking forward to seeing you. Hermione's here, too, but I believe she's with Ron."

Both Scarlett and Erica nodded before thundering up the stairs.

"This one's Ginny's room," Scarlett said, stopping outside the correct door and knocking. Almost immediately, it swung open to reveal Ginny.

"Good, you're here," she said, stepping aside and letting the two girls enter the room before shutting the door behind them. "I was hoping you'd be getting here earlier as opposed to later."

"Why, are you nervous and in need of company?" Scarlett asked as the three girls flopped onto Ginny's bed.

"Well, yes, but I'm also angry that I'm not allowed to go. No matter how much I pleaded and begged, no one would let me." Ginny angrily blew a puff of air out of her mouth, causing a piece of hair to shoot up and fall back down exactly where it had been before.

"Maybe that's a good thing," Erica said, rolling onto her side. "Actually, it _is_ a good thing. This is dangerous stuff."

"I know, but I want to go so badly! I care about Harry just as much as everyone else!"

"If not more," Scarlett joked as Erica laughed and Ginny blushed.

"Come on, Gin, it's not a secret that you're actually with Harry now. It was never even a secret that you liked him," Erica said as she continued to laugh.

"_Was_," Ginny corrected. "I _was_ with Harry. He broke up with me so that I'd 'stay safe'." She rolled her eyes.

"And that's a bad thing?" Scarlett asked.

"No, I mean…I get it. It makes sense, but I wanted more time to just be with him, you know?"

"Mm," Scarlett agreed. Time was funny like that. You always wanted more, but sometimes even then it felt like it was never enough.

"So, how about you and Fred?" Ginny asked, nudging Scarlett with her toe.

"They spend time together nearly _every_ weekend," Erica said.

"And the two of you aren't in love yet?" Ginny asked.

"No," Scarlett answered. "We like each other and we're dating."

"You never got back to Mum about your wedding date. You were supposed to do that, remember?"

"I know," Scarlett said, blushing slightly and fiddling with Ginny's quilt. "I just…forgot." She really didn't want to go into detail. She didn't want to explain that they would need to go to the Ministry, get someone to marry them, and most likely fill out paperwork and do a lot of other things that might bring their situation to Umbridge's attention. And Scarlett really didn't want Umbridge's attention on her right now. It was a shame Mr. Weasley wasn't qualified to marry people or else that would have been perfect. Really, an insider who wouldn't blab to Umbridge was exactly what Scarlett and Fred needed right now.

"You forgot," Ginny repeated, sitting up and looking down at Scarlett with a raised eyebrow.

"Mhm. Things have been crazy."

"How can you forget you have to get married?"

"That's not what I forgot," Scarlett sighed. "I just forgot to get back to your mother with a date."

Ginny was silent for a moment before she nodded. "Actually, I think my mother forgot as well. She's just been increasingly busy with Bill and Fleur's wedding, and then there's the huge rescue going on tonight and she has Harry's party to prepare for. Everything else kind of became a little less important. No offense, of course."

"It's okay, to be honest. It might be better this way." Scarlett shrugged dismissively. "Your mum's really nervous," she added, looking at Ginny after a brief pause. She desperately needed a change of subject.

"Of course she is," Erica jumped in before Ginny could answer. "Her husband and four of her children are going on a dangerous rescue mission to rescue a boy she considers to be another son."

"I'm sure everyone will be fine," Ginny said, but she didn't meet their eyes, choosing to randomly fluff her pillow instead. It was enough to let Scarlett know that the youngest Weasley was just as nervous and unsure as the rest of them.

* * *

"Okay, everyone going to Privet Drive, please gather around me," Mad-Eye instructed.

It was later that night after everyone involved in the plan had arrived at the Burrow. Mad-Eye had been the first one there and he had set up the enchantments almost immediately before resorting to pacing about the kitchen. Once the last person had arrived, he had ushered everyone out into the yard.

Scarlett stood next to Erica, Ginny, Sirius and Mrs. Weasley by the Burrow's front door while the others walked forward to stand around Mad-Eye. Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Fleur and Mundungus Fletcher were going to be the fake Harrys while Mr. Weasley, Mad-Eye, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, Bill and Hagrid were going to be the ones paired up and protecting them.

Scarlett anxiously wrapped her arms around herself as Mad-Eye went over the plan one more time. In the middle of his speech, Fred turned around and gave Scarlett a smile and a wink. She shot him a fleeting smile in return before he turned around again.

"Okay, everyone, let's go," Mad-Eye finally said.

"Be careful, all of you," Mrs. Weasley said as everyone climbed onto their thestral, broom, or in Hagrid's case, motorbike.

Fred turned around again and looked back at Scarlett once more. "Try not to look so nervous," he mouthed, shrugging and making a face as if to say that this rescue mission was no big deal.

Scarlett stuck her tongue out and Fred laughed before turning around again. After that, Mad-Eye counted down from three and they all took off at once. Scarlett felt her hair flutter from the breeze of so many flying objects leaving the ground at once. She kept her eyes on the broom Fred was sharing with his father and continued to watch it until it became a speck in the distance. When she could no longer see them, she closed her eyes and took in a shuddering breath.

"Come on, Molly," Sirius whispered gently as Mrs. Weasley sniffled. "Let's get back inside." He led Mrs. Weasley back into the Burrow while Ginny, Scarlett and Erica continued to stand outside.

"They'll be okay, won't they?" Scarlett asked, opening her eyes again and staring out at the star-filled sky.

"Mhm, of course they will," Erica answered, trying to look assuring, but actually looking quite nervous herself.

"Come on, let's go back in and we can play chess or Exploding Snap to get our minds off things," Ginny suggested, turning and pushing the front door open.

Scarlett seriously doubted that playing chess or Exploding Snap would take her mind off of what was happening, but she certainly didn't want to stand around and do nothing, so she silently followed Ginny and Erica back inside. They settled on playing chess in a corner of the living room while Mrs. Weasley and Sirius sat and talked on the couch. It seemed like an eternity until Sirius glanced at his watch and said, "Ron and Tonks should be returning soon with the first Portkey."

"Can we go outside and wait?" Ginny asked.

Mrs. Weasley nodded and the five of them slipped outside and stood in the front yard. After a minute of silence, Ginny gasped and pointed to a glowing object coming into view a few feet away. It was Tonks and Ron's Portkey and they weren't with it.

"Oh, no," Mrs. Weasley gasped, pressing her hands to her mouth.

"Now, Molly," Sirius said, "they could have simply missed the Portkey."

"But what would be the reason for them missing it? If everything went according to plan, they would have made it on time!"

"Fred and Arthur are supposed to come back in a minute," Sirius said. "Hopefully they'll be able to tell us what, if anything, happened."

Scarlett began chewing on her thumbnail. Her stomach actually hurt with anxiety. The fact that Tonks and Ron hadn't returned with their Portkey wasn't a good sign at all. Mrs. Weasley was right. Even if Ron and Tonks were unharmed, _something_ had to have caused them to miss the Portkey. Of course, it could be possible that they had simply been late in reaching the first safe house. Maybe that had been it. It was just as plausible of an option as something bad happening. There was no reason to get all worked up for nothing. That's what Scarlett tried to convince herself at least, but she wasn't sure that it was working all that well.

The next minute seemed to drag on forever. Finally, the second Portkey appeared, but instead of bringing Fred and Mr. Weasley with it, it came by itself.

Scarlett could practically feel everyone's face paling in addition to her own. "No," she whispered, shaking her head as she stared at the object in front of her on the grass.

"How do you explain _that_, Sirius?" Mrs. Weasley squeaked.

"They could have missed it as well."

"Okay, fine, but what would have caused both Portkeys to be missed? The only thing I can think of is that something went wrong or that they're—they're—"

"No, Molly, I'm sure they're fine. Mad-Eye came up with a well thought out plan. He wouldn't let anything bad happen."

"He can't control everything, no matter how well thought out the plan is!"

"Well, one thing we know for sure," Sirius said, glancing at Scarlett, "is that Fred is definitely alive."

Scarlett realized he was right. If Fred had died, she would be dead as well by now. This was one positive thing about the vow. It let her know he was alive. She didn't know, however, if he was injured or not.

"That's true," Mrs. Weasley said quietly as the realization dawned on her, "but what about the rest of them? And where are they if they aren't dead?"

"I don't know," Sirius whispered.

"Who's supposed to come back next?" Scarlett asked.

"Harry and Hagrid," Sirius replied. "They should be coning in the next minute or two. Should we wait inside?"

"No," Ginny said. "I think we should wait right here. I want to know _someone_ made it back and I want to know what happened.

"Yeah, I don't think I'd be able to go inside and do anything right now," Scarlett added. "I'm way too nervous."

"I agree," Sirius nodded, turning back to look across the yard.

Another agonizing few minutes passed before Harry and Hagrid's Portkey arrived and Scarlett was relieved to see that Harry and Hagrid were with it. Mrs. Weasley let out a cry of joy while Ginny ran to Harry and threw her arms around him.

"Are we the first ones back?" Harry asked in surprise, looking over Ginny's shoulder as he returned the hug.

Sirius nodded solemnly. He pointed to the first Portkey. "That was supposed to be Tonks' and Ron's."

"And that one was supposed to be Fred and Mr. Weasley's," Scarlett said, pointing.

"We think they must have missed the Portkeys for some reason," Ginny added.

"We were ambushed by You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters," Harry explained immediately, seeming to know that they were desperate for information. "They somehow knew I was being moved tonight. I don't know how, but he did. I don't think he knew which one was the real me, though. At least not right away."

"Did you see what happened to Ron and Tonks? And Fred and Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked anxiously.

"No, it was impossible to see much of anything," Harry replied guiltily.

"Oh, well, don't worry about it, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, plastering a smile on her face. "I'm sure they're fine."

Just then, the glowing light of another Portkey appeared, bringing two figures along with it. The first thing Scarlett saw was George, one side of his head covered in blood. He was unconscious and being supported by Lupin. Scarlett's stomach immediately tightened unpleasantly. Even in the dark, she could tell that he was bleeding badly. The sight of it upset her, not only because he was her friend, but because he was Fred's twin. If anything happened to George, Fred would be beyond devastated. He would never be the same and there wouldn't be anything Scarlett could do for him, no matter how much she wanted to.


	46. Chapter 46

_"Some people care too much. I think it's called love."_

**-Winnie the Pooh (Winnie the Pooh)**

* * *

Scarlett quickly moved out of the way as Lupin and Harry carried George into the house. Everyone followed behind them, their faces pale with panic.

"Put him here," Mrs. Weasley said, gesturing to the couch.

As soon as George's unconscious body was thrown into the light, Scarlett's mouth fell open as Erica, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley gasped.

George's right ear was completely gone, leaving nothing but a terribly bleeding hole.

Before anyone could say a word, Lupin roughly grabbed Harry's arm and pointed his wand into his face.

"What creature sat in the corner of my office when I taught at Hogwarts?" he asked.

"It was a grindylow, wasn't it?" Harry asked, looking bewildered.

Lupin nodded and lowered his wand. "Sorry, Harry, but I had to check. Someone betrayed us tonight."

Harry nodded. "Voldemort caught up with me towards the end. He figured out I was the real Harry."

"But how?" Lupin asked.

"I don't know," Harry responded. "All I know is that I saw Stan Shunpike. I didn't want to kill him, so I disarmed him."

"You used Expelliarmus?" Lupin asked. "Harry, the time for Disarming is past. At least Stun them if you aren't prepared to kill."

"Expelliarmus saved me from Voldemort two years ago," Harry said defiantly.

"Yes, Harry, and a great number of Death Eaters witnessed that happening," Lupin said. "They've started to think Expelliarmus has become your signature move."

"Well, I'm not going to blast people out of my way just because they're there," Harry said. "That's Voldemort's job."

Lupin didn't answer. He didn't seem to know how to respond.

"So," Sirius spoke up, "what exactly happened to George?"

"Snape," Lupin said.

"_Snape_?" Harry asked. "Why didn't you say that before?"

Suddenly, Ginny whirled around to face Scarlett, tearing her eyes away from George for the first time since he had come back. "Fix him," she whispered desperately, her face full of panic and fear.

"What?" Scarlett asked, blinking a few times in surprise.

"You're a Healer. You have to fix him. You have to make him better."

"Ginny," Scarlett whispered, shaking her head, "I don't think I can." She knelt down in front of the couch and looked at the now earless side of George's head. "I don't think it's possible to fix this."

"It has to be possible," Ginny said.

"Ginny, his ear's been cursed off by Dark Magic," Mrs. Weasley said. It can't be grown back when it's been cursed off like this. It's just impossible."

Scarlett nodded. "She's right." As much as it pained her to admit it, there was no way to fix what had been done to George's ear. Scarlett could practically feel the panic threatening to take over, but she forced it away. This was the first time since she had become a Healer that she was unable to fix someone's injury and she hated it. It didn't help that the injured person was a close friend, either. Even the potion that she had taken from St. Mungo's wouldn't make limbs grow back. She half wondered if it were possible to create something that would help, but that would still take time. A lot of time that nobody had anymore.

"So what do we do, then?" Ginny asked.

"Well, the blood has to be stopped and then we have to clean the area," Mrs. Weasley said, glancing at Scarlett, who nodded again.

"I'll go get something to clean it with, then," Ginny volunteered, hurrying up the stairs. Within seconds, she returned and handed Mrs. Weasley the cleaning potion, some rags, and some bandages before promptly collapsing into a chair.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Scarlett whispered. "I wish I could fix it. I wish there was a way, but—"

"It's not your fault," Ginny interrupted, shaking her head.

"Yeah, looks as if we can give Snape a warm thank you for this one," Erica added.

Before Scarlett could answer, there was a noise from outside. Everyone, with the exception of Mrs. Weasley and, obviously, George, ran for the door.

Hermione and Kingsley had just appeared, clutching the old bent coat hanger that had served as their Portkey. Scarlett let out a small sigh of relief. With every pair that returned safely, a little bit of her anxiety lessoned. Now if she only knew where Fred was. Her only consolation was that she knew he wasn't dead. At least, not yet, but she really couldn't afford to think that way.

Almost as soon as the group had fully made it out into the yard, Kingsley pointed his wand at Lupin. "What were the last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us?"

"'Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him'," Lupin said calmly.

Kingsley gave a curt nod before turning his wand on Harry.

"It's him, I've checked," Lupin said.

"All right, all right, but somebody betrayed us tonight. They knew tonight was the night we were moving him."

"But apparently they didn't know there would be seven Harrys," Lupin shrugged.

"How?" Scarlett blurted out. "If someone here did betray us, which I honestly doubt, why would they give away the date, but not the essential part of the plan?"

"Maybe someone accidentally just let the date slip. Maybe it wasn't intentional," Ginny said.

"That is a possibility," Lupin sighed.

"Who else is back?" Kingsley asked after a pause.

"Only Harry, Hagrid, George and me," Lupin replied.

Hermione let out a small whimper. "That's all?"

"That's all," Scarlett repeated, taking in a shaky breath. Silence fell between them and after a few moments, Harry, Kingsley, Lupin and Hermione wandered inside, leaving Scarlett, Ginny and Erica still in the yard.

They hadn't been standing there for very long when Ginny suddenly gasped and pointed. Another Portkey was appearing not too far away. It was Fred and Mr. Weasley.

At the sight of them, Scarlett ran to Fred and flung herself into his arms. His eyes widened in surprise and he staggered backwards a few steps before he broke into a smile. "Hey," he whispered.

"Hi," she whispered back, burying her face into his shirt. Then, she pulled back and glared at him. "You're late. You were supposed to be back ages ago."

"Yeah, well, as I'm sure you've heard, we ran into some unwanted guests on our way and then we missed our Portkey and…well, it was insane."

"Is everyone else back?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"No, we're still missing Mad-Eye, Mundungus, Bill, Fleur, Ron and Tonks," Ginny said.

Fred let out a low whistle. "How about everyone who's already back? Are they all safe?" he asked.

"Erm…" Scarlett began, pulling away and glancing back at Ginny and Erica.

"What is it?" Mr. Weasley asked urgently.

Scarlett turned back to Fred and looked at him sadly. "It's George," she whispered.

Fred's face instantly drained of all color. "What?" He let go of Scarlett and ran for the house, Mr. Weasley close behind him.

Scarlett glanced at Ginny and Erica before the three of them followed Fred and Mr. Weasley. Once they reached the living room, Erica and Ginny went and took seats in armchairs, while Scarlett hung back in the doorway and just stared at the twins.

Fred was kneeling on the floor in front of the couch, looking more panicked than Scarlett had ever seen him. It was almost heartbreaking.

Oddly enough, George began to open his eyes as if he could sense Fred's arrival.

"How're you feeling, Georgie?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Saintlike," George whispered, lightly touching the side of his head that Mrs. Weasley had finished cleaning only moments ago.

"What?" Fred croaked. "What's wrong with him? Is his mind affected?"

"Saintlike," George repeated. "You see…I'm holy. _Holey_, Fred, get it?"

Mrs. Weasley promptly burst into the tears that she must have been holding in ever since George had returned. Fred, however, smiled weakly.

"Pathetic," he whispered. "With the whole wide world of ear-related humor before you, you go for _holey_?" He sat back and made himself comfortable leaning against the coffee table as he rolled his eyes at George.

"Still reckon I'm better looking than you. And at least Mum'll be able to tell us apart now." He looked around and his eyes fell on Harry. "Hi, Harry. You are Harry, aren't you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Well, at least we got you back okay. Why aren't Ron and Bill huddled around my sickbed?"

"They aren't back yet," Mrs. Weasley whispered as George's grin faded.

Scarlet saw Harry glance at Ginny and the two of them made their way outside again. Seconds later they were followed by Sirius, Kingsley, Lupin and Hermione. Scarlett moved out of the doorway to let them all pass.

"Scar," George said, "why are you standing in the doorway?"

"I, uh…." Scarlett half-smiled and glanced down at her hands. "I thought I'd give you and Fred some space before I crowded your sickbed with another face peering down at you."

"Please," George scoffed. "If there's one face I'd most definitely want to see surrounding my sickbed, it's yours."

"Sweet of you," Scarlett said, letting out a breath of laughter.

"Don't go getting a big head, though. It's not because I consider you a friend and it's not even because you're my future sister-in-law."

"Why is it, then?" Scarlett asked.

"Why do you think? It's because you're a Healer."

Scarlett smiled. "No matter how much I want to, I can't make your ear grow back."

"Well, then get out," George said seriously pointing at the door.

Scarlett giggled and looked back down at her hands. "Ever the comedian," she said quietly. When she looked up again, George was smiling at her.

"Get over here." He gestured with a tilt of his head.

Scarlett made her way over and sat down next to Fred between the couch and the coffee table. Fred took her hand and laced his fingers through hers before bringing her hand to his mouth and lightly kissing it.

"I'm glad you're okay," Scarlett whispered.

"Really you're just glad I'm not dead because then you would be dead as well," he whispered back.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "If that's what you think."

"Yeah, because I know just how much of a selfish brat you are."

"And I know how much of a jerk you are."

Just then, Ginny ran back into the room a look of relief on her face. "Ron and Tonks are back!" she cried.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley immediately jumped up and headed after Ginny into the yard.

"Will you three be okay in here alone?" Mrs. Weasley asked, pausing in the doorway. "George? You'll be okay?"

"Yes, Mum, I'll be fine. But I promise to yell for you if any more of my limbs start falling off."

Mrs. Weasley tried to glare at him, but ended up half-smiling instead. Then, she nodded and left the room.

"So, you're sure you're okay, Georgie?" Fred asked, turning back to his brother.

"Oh, yeah," George said, nodding and waving his hand dismissively. "Besides the fact that the side of my head feels a bit odd, I feel perfectly fine."

"Can you still hear okay?" Scarlett asked. "I mean, it's the outer ear that got cursed off, right? That's what it looks like, anyway. Your eardrum should be just fine."

"I think you're right," George said. "I don't really notice too much of a difference in my hearing."

"He's going to pretend to, though," Fred said, glancing at Scarlett as he rubbed his own thumb up and down the length of hers. "He's going to pretend he can't hear for the sake of all the ear jokes he can make. You know, 'I can't _ear_ you' and things like that."

"You know me so well," George said. "I'm so proud." He pretended to wipe tears of joy from his face.

Scarlett smiled faintly. "So you aren't upset that you're missing an ear?" She was slightly amazed that George could be joking about this and almost taking it lightly. His ear was completely missing and couldn't be grown back. True, his hearing really wasn't affected, but surely if he had a hole in his head, he was more susceptible to infections if he didn't keep it clean. There was going to be a lot to worry about, even if he still had the ability to hear. If Scarlett had been in his place, she would have been a mess. And that was part of the reason why she admired Fred and George so much.

George shrugged in response to her question. "I'm not thrilled, but we can't do anything about it, so I figure the best thing to do is laugh. Besides, I'm alive, so I think I'm pretty lucky."

"That is very true," Scarlett replied, nodding. He did have a point. Out of everything that could have happened, he had gotten off pretty easy.

Just then, the door opened and everyone started filing back into the room. Ron and Tonks were back and so were Bill and Fleur, but instead of looking happy about their return, everyone looked miserable. Fleur and Tonks even had tears in their eyes.

"What's going on?" Scarlett asked, dreading the answer. She knew bad news was coming and she almost didn't want to hear it.

"Mad-Eye's dead," Bill answered quietly.

"What?" Scarlett asked, completely dumbfounded. _Mad-Eye_ had died? To say Scarlett was shocked would be an understatement. _Mad-Eye_ and _dead_ didn't belong in the same sentence. He had always come across as smart, determined, skilled and invincible.

"Beel and I saw zee whole theeng," Fleur was saying now. She sniffled a few times and daintily wiped her eyes with her fingertips.

"You-Know-Who went after Mad-Eye pretty early on," Bill continued, "and then Mundungus disappeared…."

"You said that outside, too, but let me get this straight. He just _left_?" Lupin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I know what you're thinking," Bill said, "and believe me, I considered that possibility as well, but Mundungus can't have betrayed us. They didn't know there would be seven Harrys, did they? And it was Mundungus who suggested that part of the plan to begin with. I think he panicked, that's all. He didn't want to come along in the first place, but Mad-Eye made him and You-Know-Who immediately went for them."

"Mad-Eye knew You-Know-Who would go for them first. He said You-Know-Who would think Harry was with the most skilled Aurors. That's why he went for Mad-Eye first, and when Mundungus disappeared, he went for Kingsley."

"Somebody must have just let zee date slip," Fleur said. "Zat is zee only way zey could have known the date, but not zee entire plan."

"That's what I said earlier," Ginny chimed in. "It makes sense."

"No," Harry said, suddenly and forcefully. "I don't believe any of you would sell me to Voldemort. If someone made a mistake, well, I don't think they meant to. It wouldn't have been their fault. I trust all of you."

There was a long pause after he finished speaking until Fred spoke up, his neck craned around so that he could look at Harry over the coffee table. "Well said, Harry."

"Yeah, ear ear," George said from the couch, grinning and glancing at Fred, who smiled back.

"Told you he was going to keep making ear jokes," Fred hissed to Scarlett.

After another moment of silence, Lupin let out a deep sigh and stood up. "Well, I guess I'd better get going."

"I'll go with you," Bill told him, standing up as well.

"Go where?" Tonks and Fleur asked at once.

"To try and recover Mad-Eye's body," Lupin answered, giving Tonks' shoulder an assuring squeeze.

"Can't it wait?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking anxious.

"No, not unless you want the Death Eaters to get it," Bill told her as he leaned down and gently kissed Fleur's forehead.

"As it is, we're going to have a hard time finding it since we don't know exactly where it landed," Lupin said. He gestured to Bill. "Come on, we're going to have to hurry."

After they left, the room was silent for what felt like the millionth time that night. Scarlett almost felt like it was welcomed. Her head was throbbing due to the stress of the night and the peace and quiet was a comfort. At the same time, though, she wanted someone to talk. It just so happened that peace and quiet would only comfort her head, not her anxiety.

"I've got to leave, too," Harry suddenly said. "I've got to go."

"Go where?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"I can't stay here and continue to put the rest of you in danger," he said.

"But then everything we did tonight…" Mrs. Weasley began. "The whole point was to get you here safe and sound."

"Yeah, it would be kind of stupid if you left, mate." Fred added.

"I didn't lose an ear for nothing," George chimed in.

Harry didn't say anything for a moment. Finally, he looked around the room. "I think I just need some air," he whispered. With that, he slipped out the back door.

"We'll go after him," Hermione sighed, gesturing to herself and Ron.

"Talk some sense into him, will you?" Erica told her, rolling her eyes.

"We'll certainly try," Hermione responded with a tiny smile as she and Ron made their way out the back door after Harry.

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" Fred whispered after a pause, glancing at Scarlett. "George and I are staying. You can share Ginny's room with her and Hermione."

Scarlett hesitated for a moment. Truthfully, she did want to stay the night. Even though the events of the night were over, she wasn't ready to leave everyone just yet. She still felt like someone would be in danger any minute. She would have to write to her mother, though, who was unfortunately working that night and wanted to be updated on any and all news.

"Scar?" Fred prodded.

"Yeah, I'll stay," she whispered, nodding her head and staring down at her and Fred's intertwined hands.

"You can stay, too, if you want, Erica," George added. "Honestly, I don't know where my brother's manners went, so you'll have to excuse him."

"Sorry," Fred muttered, half-smiling as his ears turned pink.

"Don't worry about it," Erica answered with a grin. "Nearly a year later and you're still so head over heels for Scarlett that your brain hasn't started functioning properly again. I completely understand."

"His brain never functioned properly to begin with," George snorted as Erica's comment caused Fred to blush and look down at the ground.

Scarlett couldn't help but smile softly to herself. Being with Fred, she was realizing, was different than being with Justin. She had known that Justin cared about her and she had cared about him in return, but he had showed it differently than Fred did. While Justin had always been nice to her and always showed and told her how much he cared, Fred wasn't exactly like that. Scarlett knew he liked her, of course, and he still had his ways of showing it, but they were more subtle, such as a simple blush, or a smile, or even just staring at her at random times when they were together. It was cute, Scarlett realized, and she liked it a lot.

* * *

Later that night, Scarlett was tossing and turning in one of the extra beds in Ginny's room. Ginny, Hermione and Erica were all asleep, but Scarlett couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard she tried and it frustrated her. All she could think about was what had happened that night. Mad-Eye had died and George had had a close call. It upset her, naturally.

She also kept seeing Ginny's face after George had returned unconscious and bleeding, and she kept hearing Ginny's plea for Scarlett to fix him.

_Fix him, fix him, fix him._ The words looped endlessly through her mind, a never-ending cycle of desperation and fear. Scarlett kept trying to tell herself that ultimately, George was okay. He was alive, for one thing, and besides having no ear, he was perfectly fine. But Scarlett's determined Healer brain wouldn't stop working overtime. It was her job to fix people and to put them back together when they fell apart. But then, she thought, maybe George was okay with being earless. He _could_ still hear after all.

Suddenly, Scarlett was hit with an idea. She sat up quickly and debated for a moment before getting out of bed and tiptoeing to the door. Holding her breath and looking over her shoulder, she slowly opened the door, praying it didn't creak and praying the three sleeping girls behind her wouldn't wake up.

The door opened silently and Scarlett slipped out of the room, shutting the door slowly behind her. Once she was safely out of the room, she took the stairs as quickly as she could until she reached Fred and George's room. When she got there, she barged right in, throwing the door open with a bang.

Both twins let out yells and sat up. One of them flicked on the lamp sitting on the nightstand between their beds, but by that time, Scarlett was already rummaging through boxes of products the twins had left behind in their old bedroom.

"Scarlett, what in the name of Merlin's beard are you _doing_?" Fred asked, staring at her. "You nearly scared us half to death. Don't you know what time it is?"

"Late, I expect," Scarlett answered vaguely, still going through boxes. "I swear, if you don't have any, I'll scream."

"Have any _what_?" George asked. "What could you possibly be looking for that you need now?"

"Aha, found it!" Scarlett stood up and held the object in her hands. She grinned before turning, marching over to George's bed, and taking a seat on the edge. "An Extendable Ear," she said proudly, handing it to him.

"Yes, very good," George said slowly.

"You said you can still hear just fine, right? Well, I was thinking, what if we attached the Extendable Ear to the side of your head? All we'd have to do is coil the string up and hide it behind the ear. It would look like you never lost an ear at all. _And_ you'll be able to hear so much better through one ear because you'll have your regular eardrum in addition to the Extendable Ear. Think of how many conversations you'll be able to snoop on without having to dangle anything over a banister."

Fred and George shared an incredulous look before George looked back at Scarlett and took the Extendable Ear from her. He smiled. "I won't be able to make any ear jokes, though. And I also won't be able to store anything in my ear hole," he teased.

Scarlett snorted. "What would you want to store in there anyway? Actually, don't answer that. I guess you have to pick what matters the most to you, but personally, I wouldn't advise you to store anything in your ear. As it is, we already have to worry about infections. That's why I was thinking of attaching the ear so that it'll stay without falling off, but you'll still be able to remove it for cleaning purposes. You will have to clean it, you know. An infection is the last thing you need."

George studied her face in silence for a moment before glancing at Fred, who was also staring at Scarlett.

"It's up to you, Georgie," he said, shrugging. When Scarlett glanced at him, he was still looking at her with an expression on his face that she couldn't figure out.

George handed the Extendable Ear back to Scarlett. "Go for it," he grinned, turning so that the earless side of his head was facing her.

Scarlett bit her lip as she coiled up the string of the Extendable Ear again. Using her wand, she stuck the coil to the ear so that it wouldn't be dangling around inside George's ear hole. Then, she pressed the whole thing to the side of George's head. Holding it in place with one hand, she held up her wand with the other and waved it.

"You're all set," she said, pulling back and admiring her handiwork.

"How do I look?" George asked, grinning at his twin as he gingerly touched the side of his head.

"Uglier, believe it or not," Fred teased, managing to keep a straight face.

"That's what I thought," George said as Scarlett smiled.

"Was it worth me waking you up in the middle of the night?"

George nodded. "Yeah, I'd say so," he smiled. "Thanks, Scar, really. You're pretty smart."

"I just…I couldn't stand to see you hurt, even if it wasn't as serious as it could have been. And Fred's face when he found out something had happened to you...it almost tore me apart." She glanced at Fred, who was looking at her again, his expression still unreadable.

"That means being a Healer is the perfect job for you," George answered earnestly.

Scarlett couldn't help but grin. It felt good to receive the compliment and it assured her that being a Healer was the right thing for her to be doing.

"Scar, can I talk to you for a minute?" Fred asked, standing up and gesturing to the hallway.

"Yeah, sure," Scarlett replied slowly, sharing a look with George, who shrugged.

Scarlett was confused to say the least as she followed Fred out into the hall. She didn't know if he was upset with her or not. His expression had been unreadable the whole time. She couldn't understand why he would be upset, unless he thought she was trying too hard to fix everything, but she couldn't help it. It was the way she was.

"What's up?" Scarlett asked once she and Fred were outside the room and Fred had shut the door behind them.

Fred just looked at her for a few seconds before he closed the gap between them and kissed her. Scarlett was forced against the wall in a matter of seconds. Fred's hands were on her hips and her arms managed to find their way around his neck. She was still wondering why exactly Fred was kissing her like this, but she found that she was caring less and less as time went on.

"You're amazing," Fred whispered as he finally pulled away slightly.

"You aren't mad?" Scarlett asked in surprise.

"Mad? No, why would I be?"

"I just thought you be upset that I meddled and worried and thought too much into something that really isn't that big of a deal when we look at it in perspective of what could have happened."

"Not that big of a deal? George is my twin and he got his _ear_ blown off! Maybe it just seems like a bigger deal to me, but….I mean, I'm glad he's alive, but I was scared, you know? And even though you may sometimes care and worry a bit too much, I know you just want the best for people."

Scarlett smiled and reached up to gently touch Fred's cheek. "I do care too much, don't I?"

"Yeah," Fred whispered, "but I haven't decided if it's cute or annoying yet."

"Oh, it's most definitely cute. Beautiful, even," Scarlett teased, smiling widely.

Fred chuckled and leaned down to kiss her again. "Well, _you're_ certainly cute, that's for sure. _Beautiful_, even."

Scarlett laughed and rolled her eyes. "And you're crazy. Certifiably insane, even."

"I agree!" George yelled from inside the bedroom. Scarlett and Fred froze. "You were right, Scar, I can hear a lot better now!"

Scarlett and Fred looked at each other before laughing. Scarlett blushed and buried her head in Fred's shoulder. "Sorry. That's going to be an advantage and a disadvantage all in one."

"I can deal with it," Fred whispered. After a pause, he spoke again. "I'm kind of jealous that George gets the super hearing ability. He'll be able to be so stealthy while I'll still be stuck using the Extendable Ears the way we invented them to be used."

"Well," Scarlett said slowly, looking up at him, "you do have something George doesn't have."

"What's that?"

"A girl that you claim is so _cute_ and even _beautiful_," she replied dramatically, fluttering her eyelashes.

Fred shook his head. "Why must you always mock me?"

"It's fun," Scarlett whispered with a shrug. There was a pause before she smiled, slid out of Fred's grasp, and turned to head back downstairs. "Sorry I woke you up. I'll let you get back to bed now. Hopefully George enjoys having two ears again."

"You're leaving just like that?" Fred asked, grabbing her arm.

"Just like wha—" Scarlett began. She didn't get to finish her sentence, though, because Fred pulled her back into him and kissed her again. It was one of those kisses that made Scarlett's brain go fuzzy.

"Goodnight," Fred whispered when he pulled away, smirking as if he knew exactly what he had done to her.

"Goodnight," Scarlett answered, keeping her eyes glued to his.

"Your room's that way," Fred whispered, gently turning her around.

Scarlett shot him a look over her shoulder. "Rude."

"What? You seemed incapable of moving on your own."

"You really are a jerk," Scarlett muttered. She turned and swatted him before walking back down the stairs, leaving Fred laughing behind her.

* * *

**A/N: I was actually pretty surprised when I first read Deathly Hallows that George didn't use an Extendable Ear. Just from what I read, it never seemed like any of the inner ear stuff was damaged, so I was just waiting to read that he stuck an Extendable Ear to the side of his head. He never did though. Maybe he just liked making ear jokes too much. :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	47. Chapter 47

"_Everybody wants to live happily ever after. Everybody wants to know their true love is true."_

**-Giselle (Enchanted)**

* * *

Scarlett returned with her mother to the Burrow on the 31st of July for Harry's party. They Apparated just outside of the protective charm boundaries and walked to the Burrow together.

"It's awfully nice of Molly to throw Harry a birthday party, don't you think?" Scarlett's mother said as they walked. "You know, under the circumstances."

"I think that's part of why she's doing it," Scarlett shrugged. "And because he's practically like another son to her."

"I heard Charlie came back from Romania today for the party and he's staying until a few days after the wedding." Out of the corner of her eye, Scarlett saw her mother glance at her, but she chose to ignore it. She knew why her mother was bringing up Charlie and trying to figure out how Scarlett felt about seeing him again. If it hadn't been for Charlie, the whole Unbreakable Vow thing might never have happened.

"Yeah, Fred told me. Bill asked Charlie to be his best man. It'll be nice to see him again," Scarlett answered, deciding the best thing to do was play dumb and not bring up the vow. However, her mother decided from there to get right to the point.

"You can thank him for bringing you and Fred together."

"I'm not sure that's exactly what he did," Scarlett giggled. "He just made things chaotic and complicated."

They finally reached the Burrow and headed straight for the backyard, where they could hear voices.

It seemed like almost everyone had already arrived. Hagrid was there, and so were Lupin, Tonks and Sirius in addition to every Weasley family member, minus Percy. Scarlett didn't see Mr. or Mrs. Weasley, but she expected Mrs. Weasley was busy cooking and Mr. Weasley was probably finishing up at work.

As for decorations, streamers and lanterns had been added to the nearby trees, giving the yard a beautiful glow. In the middle of the yard, two tables had been pushed together to make one large one and it was surrounded by enough chairs for everyone. No one was sitting down, yet, though. They were all standing around, laughing and enjoying themselves.

"I'm going to go inside and see if Molly needs any help with dinner," Scarlett's mother whispered into her daughter's ear.

Scarlett nodded as she continued to look around the yard. She spotted Harry a few feet away, talking to Hagrid, so she made her way over there first. "Hi, Hagrid, hi, Harry. Happy Birthday!" She handed him the card she and her mother had bought for him.

"Thanks," he said, taking it from her.

"How are you doing?" she asked gently. "Still aren't thinking of leaving, are you?"

"No, not yet anyway," he sighed.

"What do you mean, not yet?"

"It's a long story, but it has to do with You-Know-Who and finally getting rid of him. I have to go and do that. I promised Dumbledore."

"Ah," Scarlett answered. Naturally, she was confused, but she felt it was best to not ask any questions. Even if she did ask questions, she doubted Harry would provide any answers.

Looking around again, she saw Fred and Charlie standing over near the tables, talking and drinking firewhiskey. With a wave to Harry and Hagrid, she made her way over and aimed a gentle kick at Charlie's ankle. "Hey, I've got a bone to pick with you."

Charlie whirled around in surprise and blinked twice. "Scarlett!" he finally said, giving her a hug. "It's been a while."

"It has," she smiled. "I believe the last time I saw you was when you performed an Unbreakable Vow on me and Fred. But I don't actually remember it. You see, my memory was modified." She gave him a pointed look.

"Hey, Bill did the whole memory thing," Charlie said, holding up his hands in defense.

"He wouldn't have had to if it hadn't been for you," Fred said, picking up Scarlett's hand and taking a sip of his firewhiskey.

Charlie's ears turned red and he glanced between Fred and Scarlett. "Yeah, I am sorry about that and also for not coming forward about it sooner." He smiled sheepishly, before brightening. "But, hey, I hear you two are a couple now so maybe that balances out my act of stupidity?" He smiled hopefully and gave them a thumbs up.

"Hmm, what do you think, Fred?" Scarlett asked, unable to hold back her grin as she looked at her boyfriend.

"I don't know," Fred shrugged, grinning as well. "I suppose that sounds reasonable."

"I think so, too," Scarlett agreed. "But," she added, looking at Charlie and poking his arm, which was tanned and covered in burns, "don't think for one second it was easy for me and Fred to get to this point. It _still_ isn't easy."

"You mean you _didn't_ hear the news, have an epiphany, realize I was right for performing the vow and then proceed to fall in a beautiful, head over heels, can't live without you kind of love?" Charlie gasped.

Fred laughed. "If only it had been that easy. We'd be married already if it happened that way."

"Why _haven't _you tied the knot, then?" Charlie asked, peering at them curiously over the top of his firewhiskey bottle. "Please, enlighten me on these hardships of your lives."

"Where to begin?" Scarlett sighed. "It's kind of a long story, but we basically aren't sure how exactly we're going to do it. We had issues with a lady at the Ministry and don't want to bring her attention to the vow. And your dad unfortunately isn't qualified."

Charlie nodded. "Makes sense to me."

Not long after, Mrs. Weasley had finished dinner and had set everything on the table, but Mr. Weasley still wasn't back from work.

"Well, let's eat now," Mrs. Weasley said, looking towards the edge of the yard as if she thought staring long enough would make Mr. Weasley appear. "I don't see why we can't start now. I'm sure Arthur will be back soon enough anyway."

Scarlett sat between Fred and Ginny and just as they were about to start eating, Fred pointed across the yard. "There's Dad," he said, "but he's not alone. He has the Minister with him."

"The Minister," Mrs. Weasley gasped, standing up and looking sthe two men approaching them.

Lupin and Tonks immediately stood up as well and started backing away towards the other side of the yard. "We're really sorry, Harry," Lupin said, "but we can't be here. It's a long story. We'll explain another time." And just like that, without leaving room for a reply, they had run to the other side of the yard and disappeared.

As it turned out, Scrimgeour had decided to pay a visit to discuss something with Harry, Ron and Hermione. The three of them shared confused looks before following him into the Burrow.

"What does he want with them?" Ginny asked.

"I think he wants to discuss Dumbledore's will," Mr. Weasley said in an undertone as he took a seat at the table and glanced back at the house.

"His will? But he died a little over a month ago," Scarlett said in surprise. "If he left them things, shouldn't they have gotten it sooner?"

"They wanted to examine the items left in the will," Mr. Weasley replied. "That's the only explanation I can think of."

"Why would they want to do that?" Mrs. Weasley scoffed.

Mr. Weasley shrugged. "Probably to try and figure out why Dumbledore left what he did and what, if anything, he may have expected to be done with the items."

Mrs. Weasley sighed and shook her head as if she thought the whole thing was ridiculous. In fact, that probably was what she thought and she wouldn't be wrong. The Ministry was being entirely too nosy.

After about ten minutes, Harry, Ron, Hermione and the Minister returned. Harry, Ron and Hermione were each carrying something in their hands as they sat back down at the table, while the Minister remained standing.

"I'll be leaving now," he said, staring around with a stony expression on his face. "I don't want to intrude on your little gathering more than I already have." With that, he turned and headed back across the yard.

"What a ray of sunshine," Scarlett said under her breath as she leaned back in her chair. Fred, who had heard her, began to laugh.

"What did he want with you three?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"To give us what Dumbledore left us in his will," Harry answered.

"That's what I thought. What did he leave you?"

The three objects began to be passed around the table. Ron had been left a Deluminator, which could control the lighting in a room. Hermione had been left Dumbledore's copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_, a collection of magical children's tales that Scarlett had read only once as a child. She had enjoyed them, but had always liked Muggle fairy tales a little bit more.

"I remember these," Fred said, giving a small laugh as he held the book in his hand and flipped through the pages. "I loved them as a kid."

"When you and George were first learning to read," Mrs. Weasley began, smiling fondly at the memory, "I caught the two of you in Ginny's room one night, taking turns reading those stories to help her fall asleep. It was adorable, but still quite funny to watch you slowly make your way through, stumbling over words here and there, but acting as if you had been reading for _ages_. I think I have a picture somewhere…."

Scarlett giggled as Fred blushed. "I wish I could've seen that," she whispered, picking up Fred's hand. "I think it's sweet."

Fred blushed even more. "Yeah?"

Scarlett nodded. "But you have to admit, the stories I told you are better, right?"

"What if I told you they were tied?" Fred asked, smiling hopefully.

Scarlett laughed. "Sounds good to me."

Out of the three items left behind, Harry's turned out to be the most confusing. Dumbledore had left him the Snitch he had caught during his first Quidditch match, and the sword of Gryffindor. Except Scrimgeour hadn't actually handed over the sword, claiming that it didn't rightfully belong to Harry because it wasn't Dumbledore's to give away in the first place.

Once the gifts were finished being passed around, they were finally able to enjoy the delicious food Mrs. Weasley had cooked, which included a birthday cake shaped like a Snitch for dessert.

"I may never eat again," Fred groaned, leaning back in his chair and patting his stomach.

"That was delicious, Mrs. Weasley," Scarlett said.

"Thank you, dear. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

A few minutes later, the party had come to an end. Since everyone was attending the wedding the next day, most people with the exception of Scarlett's mother, were staying over at the Burrow. Scarlett was only staying because Fred had pleaded with her and Ginny had joined in a moment later. Her mother, as well as Erica, would be arriving the next day in time for the wedding.

Scarlett helped her mother and Mrs. Weasley clear the dishes off the table and once everything was cleared, Scarlett headed back outside once more to gather the tablecloth.

"Hey."

The voice came just as Scarlett was reaching for the tablecloth and she jumped, looking around in alarm.

Fred was standing a few feet away, leaning against a tree trunk. The lanterns in the tree were still lit, casting a glow over his freckled face. The streamers, which had once been hanging neatly, were now falling down, hanging haphazardly from branches and swaying in the breeze.

"Hey yourself," Scarlett replied, smiling slightly. "You scared me."

"I know. I saw you jump," Fred smirked, looking on the verge of laughter. After a moment, he held out his hand and gestured with a tilt of his head. "Come here."

Scarlett did as he said and walked over, placing her hand in his.

"Did you have fun?" he asked quietly, brushing her hair behind her ear with his free hand.

"I did," she answered with a grin. "Did you?"

Fred nodded. "I think a big contributing factor was that you were here, though."

Scarlett smiled, but didn't respond. Instead, she chose to hold up their intertwined hands and examine them.

"Your hands are so callused," she observed, uncurling Fred's fingers from her own and lightly touching the calluses on his palm.

"It's what years of playing Quidditch as a Beater does to you," he answered, staring down at his hand as well. His eyes flicked up to meet Scarlett's. "Why, you don't like them?"

"They're cute," she answered, trying to hide her smirk. "_Beautiful_, even."

Fred laughed. "Is that going to be a thing between us now?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Scarlett said, looking up at him with a dramatically innocent expression.

"Yes, you do."

Scarlett grinned and held up Fred's hand so that his palm was facing him. "Don't you agree, though?"

"I don't know about that." Fred smiled and shook his head.

"Well, would you like it if I told you the calluses made you look manlier?"

"That I like to hear." Fred chuckled and took Scarlett's hand again. "Dance with me?" he asked after a pause.

"There's no music," Scarlett pointed out, "so if you're planning on singing, then no."

"Hey, you've never heard me sing! I could be amazing at it for all you know."

"Mm, but something tells me you're not."

"You're right, which is why I planned ahead and hid a radio behind this tree." Grinning, Fred pulled his wand out of his pocket with his free hand and waved it in a direction over his shoulder. When music started playing, he grinned wider and stowed his wand away once more. "_Now_ will you dance with me?"

"Sure," Scarlett replied.

Fred pulled her to him with the hand holding onto hers, sliding his free hand around her waist. Scarlett's free hand found its way to the back of Fred's neck and she began lightly playing with his hair.

"When I was really little," she whispered after a moment, "my dad used to put music on and he and I would dance together. A lot of the time I'd stand on his feet while we danced…there's a picture of us like that on the nightstand in my bedroom. Anyway, then he'd always grab my mum and start dancing with her. I always liked to watch them. It thought it lovely. They looked so happy…." She trailed off and took a deep breath. She was looking straight up at the sky, her head tipped back as she stared at the stars without even really seeing them, focused solely on the memory in her mind.

"That _could_ be us one day," Fred whispered.

Scarlett looked back at him, waiting for him to continue.

"You still have a chance to be happily married. You and I…we're happy dating, aren't we?"

"Yeah, of course. I do think we can be happy when we're married, but I know we're still working our way through….There's no guarantee and I think that's what scares me. It's what's _been_ scaring me."

"There's never any guarantee, even with normal marriages," Fred argued.

Scarlett didn't answer. Fred did have a point, of course. And she did like him enough where she felt they could be happily married, even more so than before since they were now dating. The only thing that concerned her was that she hadn't fallen in love with him yet and she couldn't exactly figure out why. It was almost as if she was subconsciously holding back so that she wouldn't get hurt. Even though she knew that Fred was the one she'd be spending the rest of her life with no matter what, she worried about things going wrong between them. If she fell in love, she'd not only be heartbroken, but also stuck in a marriage with him. Maybe it was petty, but she still worried about it.

She also knew there shouldn't have been any pressure. She fell in love when she fell in love. She had to let things happen naturally. There was certainly pressure for them to get married, but the falling in love part could technically happen at any time. The only thing was that she didn't _want _it to take forever. She wanted a happy, typical marriage where she was completely head over heels for her husband.

"We'll figure this out, Scar," Fred assured her. "Together, we'll figure it out, okay?"

Scarlett nodded and rested her head on his chest as they continued to dance under the tree, surrounded by glowing lanterns and flowing streamers.

* * *

The next morning, Scarlett woke up to the curtains in Ginny's room being thrown open by Fleur, who had shared the room with Scarlett, Hermione and Ginny herself.

"Wake up!" Fleur chirped, clapping her hands together. "We have a busy day today!"

"_You_ have a busy day today," Scarlett muttered, pulling the covers tighter around her. "It's your wedding."

"Yes, but you are all coming to my wedding! And Geeny eez a bridesmaid! So all of us have a busy day!"

"It's early and I'm tired," Scarlett sighed. "Just give me a few minutes to get up."

"No, you must get up now," Fleur said, and Scarlett just knew she was putting her hands on her hips. "Besides, you wouldn't be so tired if you hadn't been out so late weeth Fred last night!"

"Were you spying on me or something?" Scarlett asked, peering at Fleur through an opening of the blanket cocoon she was wrapped in.

"Well," Fleur began, dragging out the word and glancing at Ginny, who had been sitting up in bed trying to stifle a yawn, but was now trying to stifle a giggle.

"Fleur, Sirius, Bill, Charlie, George and I watched you from Charlie's bedroom window," Ginny explained. "_And_ we heard everything you said. Well, George did with his new super ear. And you can't complain, because the ear was your idea!"

"You heard everything?" Scarlett squeaked, sitting up rapidly. _Now_ she was awake.

Fleur and Ginny nodded and looked at each other before bursting into fits of laughter.

"Ooh, Fred," Fleur mimicked, fluttering her eyelashes and grabbing Ginny's hand, "your hands are so callused! Zey are so _cute_ and _beautiful_!"

"Why thank you," Ginny said, lowering her voice to imitate Fred. "Now why don't we dance to music provided by the radio I hid out here because I'm such a romantic sap!"

Scarlett stared in amusement as the two girls burst out laughing again. She even had to laugh at how ridiculous they were making everything seem. "If Fred heard you saying all that…" she began, smiling slightly.

"Oh, don't worry, he's probably hearing it from George right now," Ginny said.

"We weren't _that_ bad," Scarlett insisted, actually trying not to laugh herself.

"You should have seen George," Ginny continued, sighing as her giggles subsided. "The way he was relaying everything you two said…."

"He's quite dramatic when he wants to be," Fleur said. "He put on quite a show."

"I can only imagine," Scarlett sighed. Her eyes fell on Hermione, who had been oddly quiet and was sitting on her bed with her nose in a small beaded bag as she stared into it anxiously. "What about you, Hermione?" Scarlett asked. "Were you in on this as well?"

Hermione jumped and looked up as she snapped the beaded bag shut. "What? Oh, no, I was with Harry and Ron up in Ron's room."

"Oh," Scarlett answered, looking at her curiously. "What's going on? You seem pretty quiet, and, well…jumpy."

"Nothing," Hermione replied, glancing at the bag in her hands and standing up. "I'm just going to go make sure the bathroom's available." With that, she hurried out of the room.

"They're planning on leaving," Ginny said to Scarlett in an undertone, glancing at Fleur, who was pulling makeup out of a bag on the dresser, to make sure she wasn't looking. Ginny pulled her bridesmaid dress from the closet and spread it out on her bed before speaking again. "Hermione, Harry and Ron, I mean. I guess Dumbledore left Harry something to do that will help destroy You-Know-Who."

"Yeah, Harry mentioned that last night. He was pretty vague about it."

"Yeah he won't tell anyone exactly what they're doing. It's a huge secret, apparently."

Where are they planning on going?" Scarlett asked.

Ginny shrugged as she knelt down and retrieved her shoes from the closet before standing up again. "How should I know? But Mum kept trying to prevent them from doing any planning. She'd give them chores separately and keep them busy. I don't think it worked, though."

Scarlett nodded as she crawled out of bed and made her way to the closet, where she reached for her own dress. It had actually been designed and made by Erica just for the occasion and was strapless, knee length, and a beautiful deep blue color that Erica had assured her would bring out her eyes…well the one eye that was blue anyway. A white sash was tied around the waist with a bow in the back.

If she was being honest with herself, she was actually glad Hermione was going with Harry. That way, Umbridge would assume she didn't come in for questioning because she was supporting and helping Harry, not because Scarlett had warned her. She still had to worry about what Umbridge would think about Justin's absence, if she would even think anything of it at all. She vaguely wondered how Justin and his family were doing. They must be hiding out at his aunt and uncle's house by now. She hoped they were doing okay.

A moment later, Erica arrived, fully dressed with her hair and makeup done. It was enough to distract Scarlett from her thoughts. Erica got right to work on doing everyone's hair. She had always been great at doing hair in addition to being a wonderful fashion designer. She was just a creative person in general, something Scarlett sometimes envied.

When Scarlett was finally dressed and her hair was done, she stared at herself in Ginny's mirror. Erica had been right about the color of the dress. Her eyes really did stand out. And as for her hair, it was curled and hung to just past her shoulders. Erica had even taken a few strands from the side of her face and pinned them in the back of her head with a glittering silver clip.

"You look stunning if I do say so myself," Erica said from where she was working on Hermione's hair.

Scarlett smiled and met Erica's eyes in the mirror. "You're just saying that because you did my hair and designed my dress."

"_You_ designed her dress?" Fleur asked, spinning around and staring at Erica.

"Yeah," Erica nodded, fluffing Hermione's hair. "I've been designing clothes for a while, but I've had my own shop for a little over a year. I thought you knew that."

"I did, but I have never seen one of your designs een person before! Eet eez lovely. I should have had you design my wedding dress!"

Erica blushed. "The one you have is beautiful."

"Yes, that eez true," Fleur said as she retrieved her dress from the closet and began putting it on.

"You know," Ginny piped up, smoothing down the front of her bridesmaid dress, "I believe you did promise me discounts on your stuff. Why haven't I gotten said discounts?"

"Why haven't you visited the shop to buy anything?" Erica answered without looking up from Hermione's hair. "The only way I can actually give you a discount is if you come in and buy something."

"Fair enough," Ginny sighed.

"Wow, Fleur," Scarlett said, noticing that Fleur had gotten her dress on. "You look fantastic."

"You really do," Hermione agreed as Erica and Ginny nodded enthusiastically.

It was true. Scarlett hadn't thought it possible, but Fleur looked even more beautiful than before. She was practically glowing, but Scarlett got the feeling it had more to do with happiness than Fleur being part veela.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "It's me," called Mrs. Weasley. "Auntie Muriel and Fleur's mother are with me. We have the tiara I promised for Fleur."

Hermione, who was closest to the door pulled it open, allowing the three visitors to come in. As if on cue, they began gushing over how beautiful Fleur looked, causing Fleur to grin and actually blush a little bit.

Mrs. Weasley began arranging the tiara in Fleur's beautifully done hair while Fleur's mother spoke to her daughter in rapid French and Auntie Muriel circled Fleur like a vulture.

"Done," Mrs. Weasley said after a moment, stepping away and admiring her work.

"Yes, my tiara really completes the whole thing," Muriel said, nodding in satisfaction.

"It's beautiful," Hermione whispered.

"Yes, of course it is," Muriel answered. She peered over at Hermione. "What's your name?" she asked, almost a bit too bluntly.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione answered hesitantly.

"Ah, yes, the Muggleborn," Muriel said, giving Hermione a once over. "Hmm, bad posture and skinny ankles."

"Now, Muriel," Mrs. Weasley began, but Muriel wasn't listening. She had already started examining Ginny.

"Ginevra," she said as Ginny wrinkled her nose slightly at the use of her full name. "You are in dire need of a haircut. And what's that face for? It's as if someone just waved sour milk under your nose."

Scarlett saw Ginny catch her mother's eye and send her a look as Mrs. Weasley simply sighed and shrugged. Erica, Scarlett suddenly noticed, was inching towards the door.

"I'm going to go," she mouthed when she saw Scarlett watching. "Not in the mood to be evaluated by the old bat."

Scarlett shot her best friend a look, silently scolding her for being rude, but Auntie Muriel chose that moment to turn her attention to Scarlett.

"And who are you?" she asked.

"Uh, Scarlett Callaway," she said, glancing up at Erica, who snickered before slipping out of the room.

"Hold on a minute. Aren't you the girl who vomited all over my living room rug when you were younger?"

Ginny giggled and clapped a hand over her mouth as Scarlett sighed. "Yeah, unfortunately, that was me."

"The Floo made her sick, Muriel," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Obviously, but all over my rug, for heaven's sake! It's lucky we were able to get it out!"

"It wasn't a big deal," Mrs. Weasley sighed as Scarlett blushed.

"It was terribly unladylike, too."

"Vomiting is unladylike?" Ginny butted in. "It happens to everyone."

"Yes, but it's always more appropriate to hold it in until you are in a more suitable location. For instance, far away from expensive, _white_ rugs."

"She couldn't help it," Ginny argued as Scarlett blushed even more.

"Should we head downstairs now?" Fleur asked before Muriel could answer and Scarlett was grateful for the change of topic.

"Yes, let's go," Mrs. Weasley said quickly. "Fleur's father and sister are in the living room, so Ginny and Fleur can stay there until we're ready to start. Scarlett and Hermione can head to the tent to find their seats."

Scarlett and Hermione nodded and quickly left the room. Scarlett was still trying to calm down and get her cheeks back to a normal color.

"Pleasant woman, isn't she?" Hermione asked, glancing over her shoulder as the two girls headed down the stairs.

"Oh absolutely," Scarlett snorted.

"Don't let her make you feel badly," Hermione said gently. "What happened wasn't your fault. You didn't mean to vomit all over her rug. You couldn't help it, like Ginny said. Obviously, Muriel's never been sick before in her life if she thinks it's easy to _hold it in_."

Scarlett let out a small giggle. "Thanks, Hermione."

There was a brief pause before Hermione spoke again as they entered the living room. "It was really nice of you to warn me about Umbridge. I never got to thank you for that."

"Oh, yeah, don't mention it," Scarlett replied, holding open the back door.

"I'm planning on sticking with Harry, but that may actually include us going into hiding, so once that happens, I'll have to stay hidden so Umbridge won't catch me."

Scarlett nodded as they began making their way across the yard to the tent. "Yeah, Ginny said you might be leaving." As they made their way up to the tent entrance, Scarlett could see Harry and Ron talking to Fred and George. Fred's back was to Scarlett and he kept tugging on the collar of his shirt, causing Scarlett to smile.

"Have you told him?" Hermione asked.

"Told who what? Scarlett asked, tearing her eyes away from Fred to look at Hermione.

"Have you told Fred that you warned Justin? I got the impression before that no one knew."

"Fred found out about a month ago. Justin came by to tell me he was taking my advice and Fred found out that way."

"Ah, I see," Hermione nodded.

They were finally close enough to the tent to hear what Fred was saying to the others, preventing Scarlett from responding to Hermione.

"You know, maybe a quick wedding is the way to go," Fred said, tugging on his collar again. "I'd actually prefer not to bother with any of this nonsense. No matter what we do, though, everyone should be able to wear what they want and Mum has to be in a full body-bind curse until it's all over."

"I'm all for it," Scarlett said with a grin, "but we might need to put a full body-bind curse on my mum, too."

Fred whirled around. "Hey," he said with a smile. "I didn't know you were standing there."

"I wasn't for very long," Scarlett shrugged, walking over and taking his hand. "Just long enough to hear your wonderful plans for our wedding."

"And you like them?" Fred asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Mm, judging from how I've seen your mum behaving recently, I think it might be best."

"She wasn't that bad this morning, though," George chimed in. "She cried a little about Percy not being here, but who needs him?" He shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"Uh-oh," Fred suddenly said. He pointed over Scarlett's head with his free hand. "Here come the guests."

"Excellent, I think I see a couple of veela cousins," George grinned. "I'll look after them." He darted away, leaving Fred to deal with the middle age witches at the front of the group.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," Fred whispered in Scarlett's ear as he dropped her hand.

She nodded as he left her side and began leading the middle aged witches to their seats. Ron and Harry took the next two groups of people, leaving Scarlett and Hermione alone again.

"So, was Fred really upset when he found out what you did?" Hermione asked as they stood off to the side and watched the boys rush back and forth to lead guests inside the tent.

"At first, yeah, but I think he was more hurt that I broke my promise. We talked it out, though."

"Good. What does he have against Justin anyway?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Scarlett shrugged. He won't tell me and neither will George. I'm supposed to ask again in a few years." She sighed heavily. "It's annoying. I don't think he's planning on ever telling me, actually. It's annoying."

"I can imagine," Hermione agreed. She paused. "What's going to happen to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I can imagine telling me and Justin before the news officially got out can't be safe."

Scarlett shrugged. "I'm hoping that Umbridge won't link it to me or my mother. Surely people will run when they hear the news and she has no way of knowing when you and Justin left and went on the run."

Hermione nodded. "For your sake, I hope she doesn't do anything crazy. I wouldn't put it past her."

Scarlett sighed. "That's basically what Fred said too."

"He cares about you, Scarlett. Quite a bit, I'd say. It's obvious." She let that sink in for a minute before looking up and letting out a small groan. "Oh, no, here comes Muriel again."

"I wonder who the lucky gentleman will be that has to lead her to her seat," Scarlett muttered with fake enthusiasm.

The lucky person turned out to be Ron, whose expression turned to one of annoyance as he saw Muriel at the tent entrance. Scarlett thought he looked as if he were considering turning around, but the old woman had already seen him.

"Ronald!" She said, latching onto his arm. "It is you, isn't it? Your hair is so very long. I almost mistook you for Ginevra!" She glanced up and frowned at something over Ron's shoulder. "And _what_ is Xenophilius Lovegood wearing? He looks like an omelet. Anyway, Ronald, hurry and show me to my seat. I am a hundred and seven and can't be on my feet too long. My seat better be a good one, too, so I can see everything. I didn't come here to have a terrible view…."

Scarlett bit her lip and tried to hold back her laughter as Ron led Muriel into the tent, looking less than thrilled. She shook her head. "I can't believe what she said about your ankles and your posture, Hermione. It's completely untrue. Actually, most of what she says is untrue."

"_I_ still can't believe she even remembered that you vomited on her rug," Hermione said. "I mean, it was years ago, and she _is_ a hundred and seven."

The two girls giggled into their hands and it was almost hard to stop, no matter how hard they tried.

After a moment, Fred appeared beside them. "Talking about Muriel?" he asked, resting an elbow on Scarlett's shoulder. "She told George his ears were lopsided and she told me I needed a haircut."

"She's been telling _everyone_ they need a haircut," Hermione sighed.

"Except me," Scarlett said, turning to look at Fred. "No, she told me off again for vomiting on her rug, what, eleven years ago? As if I didn't hear enough of it the first time!"

Fred laughed, but managed to contain himself when Scarlett shot him a look. "She remembers that, then?"

"Yes, she does, and it isn't funny!" Scarlett exclaimed. "Do you even understand how mortifying that was? It was a white rug. And expensive, as Muriel didn't fail to remind me upstairs."

Fred looked on the verge of laughter again. "You have to admit, Scar, it _is_ funny. Not that you were sick, of course, but because of how upset Muriel is years later."

"It's not funny to me," Scarlett retaliated, swatting Fred's arm.

He caught her hand in his and kissed her fingers. "You look beautiful today. Have I mentioned that?"

"No," Scarlett said dryly, raising her eyebrows, "you haven't." She smirked over at Hermione. "Have you ever noticed how boys never seem to pick up on their cues?"

"Believe me, I have," Hermione said, rolling her eyes as Fred made a noise of protest.

"I _told_ you that you looked beautiful! It's not like I forgot!"

"You told me just now in order to save yourself from being hit with more of my punches." Scarlett gently hit him in the shoulder again.

"You swatted me. You didn't _punch_ me. Big difference. And it hardly even hurt!" Fred stuck out his tongue at her as Scarlett crossed her arms in annoyance and glared at him.

"Oh, please," she sighed, "I think you just—"

"What are you three still doing standing out here?" Mrs. Weasley's shrill voice carried over to them and they turned to see her marching over, flapping her hands frantically at them in an attempt to shoo them away. "Go find your seats; we'll be starting soon!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said quickly, hurrying into the tent at once.

"Body-bind curse, I'm telling you," Fred murmured into Scarlett's ear as they turned to follow Hermione.

Scarlett giggled. "Like I said, it may be for the best. But on the other hand, I think your mother rather enjoys this."

"Inside the tent! Go!" Mrs. Weasley ordered, shooing them away again.

"Or maybe not," Scarlett whispered. She smiled, shrugged and looked up at Fred. "So, Mr. Weasley, are you going to show me to my seat or are you going to miss your cue again?"

Fred held out his arm and grinned cheekily. "May I show you to your seat?"

Scarlett linked her arm through his. "Of course."

"Right this way, then." Fred led her into the tent and over to her seat, which was directly behind his own and in between her mother and Erica. When they came to a stop, Fred bowed dramatically and kissed Scarlett's hand again, causing her to smile and shake her head.

"_Such_ a lovesick sap," Erica teased, causing Scarlett's mother to nudge her.

"Let's get this wedding started, shall we?" Scarlett said pleasantly, sitting down and smoothing out her dress.

"Yes, now that the _princess_ and her Prince Charming have arrived, we can begin," Erica snorted.

"You bet," Fred said, turning around and winking.

"You, turn around," Scarlett said, leaning forward and shoving Fred's shoulder to get him to face front again. "And you be quiet," she added, looking at Erica.

"Yes, ma'am," Erica saluted.

Scarlett rolled her eyes and didn't respond. Between the two of them and their comments, she didn't know how she was going to make it unless the wedding started soon. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when Bill and Charlie appeared at the front of the tent. Bill was nervously tugging at the ends of his sleeves and Scarlett had to smirk. She could remember from her childhood days spent with the Weasley's that she had always thought that as the oldest, Bill was fearless and never got nervous over anything. It was almost kind of comforting to see that he was nervous now. It was sweet, actually. He was obviously so in love with Fleur and now he was getting to marry her. Scarlett found herself half wishing that Fred loved her the way Bill loved Fleur. It would almost be nice to have Fred nervously waiting for her at the end of the aisle instead of simply standing there because he had to. It was one of the things she actually felt as if she was missing out on with the vow in place

Charlie, on the other hand, looked exactly the opposite of how Bill looked. He was grinning like an idiot, looking completely thrilled to be there and as if he didn't have a care in the world. He caught Scarlett's eye and pointed at her. "You next," he mouthed, grinning wider.

Scarlett smiled and gave a tiny shake of her head. "Stop it," she mouthed back.

Before Charlie could respond, the music began and Ginny and Gabrielle started making their way up the aisle, one after the other. Both girls looked absolutely stunning. Muriel had her comments of course, but Scarlett tuned her out and she imagined the other guests were doing the same.

Once Ginny and Gabrielle had reached the front of the tent, the music continued for a moment longer before it stopped briefly and a different tune started up, which only meant one thing. Any second, Fleur was going to be walking down the aisle.


	48. Chapter 48

"_Even miracles take a little time."_

**-Fairy Godmother (Cinderella)**

* * *

"Your mother really did a wonderful job planning the wedding."

Scarlett and Fred were dancing together in a corner of the dance floor and Scarlett had been quiet as she looked around the beautifully decorated tent.

"Is this something you want?" Fred asked quietly, studying her face. "If it is—if you truly want it—we'll figure out a way to do it. Mum would be thrilled. You know that."

"We can't, Fred. I don't want to take any chances of Umbridge finding out about the vow. If she does her research, I'm sure she can figure it out."

"Why are you worried about Umbridge _now_? You weren't worried when you warned bird brain."

"I'm not worried about me as much as I'm worried about you. I don't want her to find out about the vow and realize she can kill you to kill me."

"But even if she does kill you, I'll die unless we _get married_."

"I know. And I also know that there's really no reason for Umbridge to find out about the vow unless she does some serious research, but it's just that I'm worried that even if we go and don't mention the vow, surely she'll know we'll be married and she'll know we're close and then I'm worried that if she ever wants to come after me again, she'll try to use you or hurt you to get to me. Is that stupid?"

"No," Fred said after a moment. "Although, you wouldn't have to worry if you had just kept the Muggleborn Registration news to yourself."

Scarlett let out a frustrated sigh and looked away. "I've already told you why I did what I did. And you know full well that if Umbridge comes after you, I'll fight for you in a heartbeat. But you know me. I always want to save everyone and I hate knowing that it's impossible. And it seems that every decision I make will put someone in danger."

Fred didn't say anything for another moment. "What if we have to guy who married Bill and Fleur marry us right now? He's here, so why not?"

Scarlett blinked at him. At first, the idea didn't sound all that bad, but then she let out a sigh. "We don't know if we can trust him. And even if we can't, what if he's forced to spill information? Besides, that will take the focus away from Bill and Fleur."

"Nobody will have to know. And why would he be forced to spill information about us?"

"If Umbridge wants to—"

"Why would she? Why would she care?"

"I'm just trying to be careful about her. I know what she's capable of and I don't want her to hurt anyone I care about, okay? I'm just being cautious."

"Fine, then what's your suggestion, then?"

Scarlett opened her mouth to answer, but she was interrupted by a large, bright lynx patronus appearing in the middle of the dance floor. She and Fred stopped dancing and stared, along with everyone else in the tent. It had fallen completely silent, and that made the words the lynx spoke in Kingsley's voice sound ten times louder.

"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."

The lynx disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving behind a tent full of silent, horrified wedding guests. But after a few seconds that felt like years, that all changed. Chaos broke out, to say the least. Everyone was trying to leave before the Death Eaters arrived, which didn't take all that long. Within another few seconds, they were there, adding to the chaos and destroying the tent in the process.

Fred pulled Scarlett out from underneath the tent and behind a tree. "You have to leave, okay?" he said quickly. "Go home. You'll be safe there."

"Are you mental? No way," Scarlett hissed. "I'm not going to leave you."

"You have to," Fred insisted.

As if on cue, Erica appeared just beyond the tree. She looked around, saw Scarlett and frantically waved her over.

"Go," Fred said, glancing over his shoulder at Erica. "I'll let you know when this is all over."

"Fred—" Scarlett began to protest, but Fred cut her off by leaning down and kissing her. As they broke apart, a stray spell hit a branch of the tree they were under, lighting it on fire and causing it to fall to the ground. Scarlett screamed and buried her face in Fred's chest.

"Go," he said more urgently than before. He quickly kissed her forehead before pushing her gently out towards Erica.

She glanced over her shoulder, giving Fred a pleading look to let her stay with him, but he shook his head.

"Go," he said again. "I mean it, Scar."

Taking a deep breath, Scarlett whirled around and began running towards Erica with her heart pounding. Halfway there, she turned around again and looked back at the tree. Fred was no longer there, which meant he was somewhere in the tent again, in the middle of all the chaos. How was she supposed to leave things like this? The Weasleys were going to be in danger. And what about her mother? Where was she?

"Scarlett, come on!" Erica ran over to her and before Scarlett could protest, she grabbed her arm and Disapparated them to their flat. Scarlett immediately sat down on the curb and buried her head in her arms.

"Scarlett, why don't we get inside," Erica suggested tentatively.

"I can't believe I just left," Scarlett whispered, raising her head off of her arms and ignoring Erica's suggestion. "I should have stayed, no matter what Fred said."

"No, Scar," Erica argued, sitting down next to her friend. "Leaving was the right thing to do."

"_Helping_ would have been the right thing to do," Scarlett said. "What if something happens? I—we—could have helped."

"You know the Death Eaters are going to pester the Weasleys about Harry. That's why they came. They want him. None of us are a match for them and if we stayed, we'd only be two more people held there for questioning. We wouldn't have been much of a help at all."

Scarlett was quiet for a moment. She supposed Erica had a point, but what she had said reminded Scarlett of something else. "I wonder if Harry got away. I wonder if he, Ron and Hermione escaped."

"Most likely," Erica said. "I think he'd make it a point to get away." Erica shrugged as she stared blankly across the street. "He knows they came for him. He wouldn't stay."

"My mum's still there," Scarlett whispered. "Do you think she's okay?"

Erica nodded. "Like I said, all the Death Eaters wanted to do was find Harry. I don't think they're out to do any killing today. Unless someone gives them a _lot_ of trouble…."

"Don't say that," Scarlett whispered. This was why she hadn't wanted to leave. Even if she couldn't have been of any help, she wouldn't have to wonder about everyone's safety. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. Suddenly, another thought came to her. Now that You-Know-Who had taken over the Ministry, it was most definitely going to be harder for her and Fred to get married. It might have even become impossible now. Quick wedding or elaborate one, it was going to be difficult to find someone to marry them. Every qualified Ministry worker was going to be terrified of getting in trouble, and besides, things were going to be under close watch by the Death Eaters. It was more than just worrying about Umbridge now. They were dealing with You-Know-Who. Before Scarlett could voice her thoughts to Erica, her mother Apparated in front of them with a pop, causing both Scarlett and Erica to jump.

"You're okay," Scarlett cried, jumping up and hugging her mother. "I didn't know if you had gotten out all right or not."

"I tried to stay as long as I could, but in the end, I thought it would be best to leave. I tried hiding so that I'd be able to keep an eye on things—.I guess it's what years of being a journalist did to me—but anyway, the Death Eaters rounded all the Weasleys into the Burrow so I couldn't see anything. That's when I left to come here and make sure you were safe."

"What about Harry, Ron and Hermione? Are they gone?" Erica asked.

Scarlett's mother nodded. "They left, yes."

"Do you think the Weasleys will be okay?" Scarlett whispered.

Her mother didn't answer right away. Instead, she gently moved Scarlett's hair off of her shoulder. "They'll be fine, but things are about to get a lot worse for everyone."\

"I know," Scarlett answered quietly.

"I'm going to head home," Scarlett's mother said slowly. She glanced between Scarlett and Erica. "Will you two be okay on your own?"

"Yeah, we'll be okay, Mum," Scarlett said with a half-smile.

"Okay, well, if either one of you need anything, let me know, okay? I mean it."

The two girls nodded. "Yeah, of course," they answered.

Once her mother had left, Scarlett sighed and turned towards their flat. "Come on, let's get inside."

Once they had unlocked the door and gone in, though, Scarlett didn't know what to do with herself. She was worried sick and she knew she wouldn't be able to focus on anything.

"Fred's not dead, you know," Erica said quietly, sinking onto the couch.

Scarlett nodded as she sat in an armchair and tucked her legs under her. While that was true, and while it was a relief, Scarlett wanted information. She wanted to know how the others were doing. She wanted to know what the Death Eaters had said and done. Erica knew this and wanted the same information, but Scarlett was grateful for her friends attempt to make her feel better.

After an excruciating hour had passed, Scarlett looked at the clock as she chewed on a fingernail. "Do you think I should go back?" she asked.

"No, that's too dangerous. Fred said he would let you know, so just wait."

"But that's just it! What if he _can't_ let me know!"

"He's not dead, Scar."

"He could be injured," Scarlett retaliated, turning to look at her friend.

"Scar, just try to relax, okay? Fred's alive and I'm sure he'll let you know what's going on as soon as he can. And if he's injured, _someone_ will be around to let you know soon. But I doubt anyone's injured. Like I said, the Death Eaters just wanted to question them."

"How can you be so sure everyone's okay? How can you be so calm?" Scarlett asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I'm not calm," Erica said. "Not really. I'm scared, too, but I'm trying to think logically."

Scarlett sighed and turned away, staring up at the clock again and watching the seconds tick by. Another thirty minutes of agony passed before there was a knock on the door. Immediately, Scarlett jumped up and crossed the room.

"Wait," Erica hissed as Scarlett reached for the doorknob. "Shouldn't you make sure it's really Fred before you answer it?"

Scarlett paused. "Yeah, I suppose so." She turned back towards the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Scar, open the door," answered Fred's voice.

"Ask a security question," Erica ordered. "Make sure it's really him and not an impersonator."

Scarlett gave her friend an impatient look, but she still knew that it was the safest thing to do and it was better to be safe than sorry. She turned back towards the door again and took a breath. "You're going to have to prove it," she called through the door. "Who was Toby the turtle and what happened to him?"

"Seriously? Of all questions, you ask _this_? You _know_ how I felt about that incident."

"Just answer the question, Fred," Scarlett said, smiling slightly. She could practically see Fred rolling his eyes.

"Toby was the turtle you, George and I shared back when we were seven. And my mother accidentally killed him. Don't make me talk about it anymore, okay?" Scarlett heard him pretend to sniffle, but she knew he was smiling.

"Fine, fine, you pass the test," she said, pulling open the door and throwing her arms around Fred. "I was so worried."

"But you knew I was alive," Fred grinned, comfortingly rubbing circles into her back.

"Yes, but I didn't know if you were injured. And I knew nothing about the rest of your family and what was going on at your house. How is everyone? What happened after I left? Is everyone-?"

"Everyone's fine. No one's injured. We're all safe."

Scarlett nodded and let out a sigh of relief as Fred continued to rub her back. "What did the Death Eaters do to you?" she finally asked.

"Not much. They just questioned us about Harry, Ron and Hermione."

"Told you," Erica said with a smirk as Scarlett stuck her tongue out at her.

"What did you say to them?" Scarlett asked, looking up at Fred.

"We told them that Hermione's in Australia with her parents, Ron's sick with spattergroit and that we have no idea where Harry is."

"And they believed all that?" Erica raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Well, George, Dad, Ron and I transformed the ghoul in our attic to look like Ron with spattergrout—not that it needed much transformation in my opinion—and Hermione nodified her parents' memories and sent them to live in Australia. They don't know who she is and they believe their names are Wendall and Monica Wilkins. This way, it'll be impossible to track them down."

Scarlett blinked a few times in surprise. That must have been so hard for Hermione to do and yet this whole time, Scarlett had had no idea. Hermione held it together so well. She definitely had every ounce of that famous Gryffindor courage.

"So then the Death Eaters just questioned you and left?" she asked Fred.

"Yeah, basically. They checked Ron's room and thought the ghoul was him, so that worked out well. But we're being watched now. The whole family."

"Watched?" Scarlett squeaked. "Why didn't you say that sooner?"

Fred shrugged. "They're basically going to make sure we aren't in contact with Harry and that he doesn't try to come to the Burrow. They're not guarding us or anything and we'll all still be able to go to work. I'll still be able to see you. It won't change much."

"How can you say that?" Scarlett asked in exasperation. She stepped out of Fred's grasp and turned away, crossing her arms. "_Everything's_ changed now."

"How I feel about you hasn't changed," Fred whispered.

"Romantic sap," Erica joked with a grin.

"Erica," Scarlett sighed, rolling her eyes. This was not the time for jokes and sarcasm.

"What?" Erica asked, shrugging. "There's nothing _wrong_ with being a romantic sap. I was just pointing it out….Look, Scar, the guy just said he cares about you. Surely what he said has to make you feel good?"

Scarlett turned around and met Fred's eyes. He was simply staring at her almost pleadingly, begging her to understand.

"I'm not going to stop seeing you because the Death Eaters are keeping an eye on my family," he said firmly.

"I think it sounds like a good reason to stop seeing me. If it puts your life in danger—"

"But it doesn't," Fred agued, shaking his head. "Not really. Like I said, they mostly just want to keep an eye out for Harry. Trust me, I wouldn't do this if it put your life, my life, or anyone else's life in danger."

Scarlett studied him as she thought about what he'd just said. "We definitely can't get married now, you know," she finally said. "We're just so stupid. _I'm_ so stupid. I was so afraid of Umbridge, that I completely ignored the fact that part of me _knew_ that You-Know-Who was going to take over the Ministry at the first chance he got."

"It's not your fault," Fred whispered, shaking his head.

"It is, though, that's the thing. If I hadn't been so immature and danced around the marriage, we could have just _done it_ by now."

"It's my fault just as much as it is yours," Fred told her.

"Why did this have to happen to us?" Scarlett asked quietly. "We're too young to be dealing with this kind of thing. I mean, I _feel_ like I'm old enough to make good decisions, but in this case, I don't know what to do. I'm just...lost. I feel like I'm in a very complicated chess game where if I make the wrong move, someone's going to get hurt."

"Agreed," Fred said as he nodded. After a second, he sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Look, we can talk and discuss it and analyze it all night, but for now, why don't we take a few days to clear our heads and think about our next step?"

"But—"

"What else do you suggest?" Fred raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously.

"I—fine," Scarlett answered, looking away. She had to admit that Fred's idea did sound logical and it wasn't as if _she_ could come up with anything right now. It was just that time was ticking and they were at that point where it was sinking in that they didn't have all that much time to figure things out.

Fred sighed and glanced at Erica. "Would you mind giving me and Scarlett a moment alone?"

"No, not at all," she replied, holding up her hands and quickly leaving the room. "I'll be in my bedroom," she called over her shoulder. "It'll be like I'm not here at all."

Fred chuckled and once they heard the sound of Erica's door shutting, he crossed the room to Scarlett and hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her face up to look at his. "I know we've messed up, but there has to be a way to get through it and we're going to figure It out. We just need some time."

"Time that we don't exactly have, Fred. It's starting to sink in that we have nine months to do this. Just nine. I'm starting to panic. This whole thing has been like one of those homework assignments where you put it off thinking you have plenty of time to do it, but then the night before, you realize it's due the next day, so you rush to finish it."

"Scar, listen, we're going to get credit for this homework assignment. I promise you."

"That's a difficult promise to keep," Scarlett whispered.

"But you trust me, don't you?" Fred asked, his eyes staring into hers.

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, I do, but—"

"Shh. Don't panic. Everything will work out."

"But—"

This time, Fred interrupted by gently kissing her. "Stop with the 'buts'," he whispered after pulling away slightly.

Scarlett just looked at him and sighed. She was tempted to protest again, but in the end, she kept her mouth shut. She leaned up and kissed Fred again, her fingers finding their way to the hair at the back of his neck.

"We really are messing everything up," she finally said when she pulled away.

"Your negativity is making it hard for me to maintain the faith I have in the two of us," Fred replied, smiling and twirling a strand of Scarlett's hair around his finger.

Scarlett actually giggled and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head before hugging her tighter.

"Are you still going to live in your flat?" Scarlett asked after a moment.

"Yeah," Fred nodded. "Just because we're being tracked doesn't mean we can't or won't go on with our everyday lives."

"Well, aren't you so incredibly brave and tough," Scarlett teased with a smile.

"That's me," Fred laughed, pulling away ad tucking a strand of Scarlett's hair behind her ear. "I should get going, though. I promised George I'd help him with a new product we've been working on."

Scarlett nodded. "Okay. Don't work too hard," she said as she followed Fred to the door.

"I'll try not to," Fred laughed, "but hard work does earn me money, you know." He opened the door and stepped outside before turning back to face Scarlett, who was leaning against the door.

"Did I hear you correctly? You're actually supporting hard work?" She raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Fred smiled. "Shocking, isn't it?"

"It's like a whole new you."

Fred chuckled. "So I'll see you soon, then?"

Scarlett nodded. "Of course, but how soon is soon?"

Fred scrunched his face up in thought. "Next weekend?" he finally suggested. "Saturday night?"

"That's the best you can do?"

"Hey, I'm a busy guy and I know you're a busy girl."

"That's true," Scarlett replied. "All right, next Saturday it is."

"I can't wait," Fred told her, leaning in for a quick kiss.

"Neither can I," Scarlett sighed. She watched Fred walk down to the sidewalk, where he turned and gave her a wave. She waved back and a second later, he was gone.

* * *

The following Saturday, Scarlett was absentmindedly walking down Diagon Alley towards Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She was lost in thought about work and how terribly busy it had been all week. In addition to the usual types of issues, people were now coming in with injuries caused by Death Eaters and Dark Magic. It reminded Scarlett of the new medication Dani had been working on—the one Scarlett had tried to help her with. She still had the vial of potion at her flat. It was tucked away in the pocket of one of her sweatshirts. She had meant to return it, but had kept forgetting. She was really going to have to remember to bring it back. The last thing she wanted was to get into any trouble at work.

She had asked Dani how it was coming along during the middle of the week, while they were tending to a new group of patients together.

"It's the same," Dani answered with a sigh, as she quickly tried to prevent a patient from getting out of bed. "You can't get up," she told him gently. "You have to rest."

"You know," Scarlett said, as she began cleaning the cuts on the arm of the patient on the next bed, "if the only side effect is that it leaves a scar, it might still be good enough to sell, don't you think?'

Dani shook her head. "Like I said before, I'm a perfectionist. I want it done right. And besides, people still don't want scars left on their body. The whole point of the medicine is to cure injuries completely."

"Yeah, but people are desperate and a scar is better than being dead. Will you at least think about it? You see how bad things are getting."

"Fine, I'll think about it," Dani said, watching a patient being wheeled in with a gash on nearly the entire length of his leg.

"That's all I ask," Scarlett whispered, watching the patient as well.

That whole conversation was what occupied Scarlett's mind as she walked down Diagon Alley. Suddenly, as she was walking, she got the feeling that someone was watching her. She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around. No one was there. She was just paranoid. It was normal. Everyone was paranoid these days. She turned around again and resumed walking, getting lost in her thoughts again.

It had only been a matter of minutes before she got the feeling once more that she was being watched. The hairs on the back of her neck were even standing up. She didn't turn around right away this time. Instead, she slowly inched her hand towards her wand. As soon as her fingers closed around it, she decided to count down from three before turning. She hadn't even begun to count when someone grabbed her from behind, clamped a hand over her mouth and Disapparated, not even leaving her time to fight back.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know, I take longer than usual to update and then end the chapter on a cliffhanger. But I'm hoping the next update will be able to come a bit quicker. I hope everyone likes the chapter though. Things are going to get a little more intense as we get closer to the end of Deathly Hallows, but I'm actually pretty excited to write it.**

**Thanks for reading! **


	49. Chapter 49

"_If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever."_

**-Winnie the Pooh (Winnie the Pooh)**

* * *

Fred glanced at his watch for what felt like the millionth time. Scarlett was late. Earlier, he had actually been hoping she'd be a few minutes late. He had tried his hand at cooking something other than eggs and bacon, and it had taken longer than he thought. Granted, he had only made macaroni and cheese from a box and a salad, but it was cooking nonetheless. Making the salad was the easy part; all you had to do was throw vegetables in a bowl. But the macaroni and cheese required him to actually use the stove. He may have been a few minutes late and he may have burnt his arm on the stove, but he had managed to make something besides scrambled eggs and bacon. He was proud of himself and he knew Scarlett would be proud if she were actually here. But she was now going on thirty minutes late.

Fred anxiously tapped his feet against the floor as he waited. He had been so excited for tonight. George had even gone out with Lee, which would have given Fred and Scarlett some alone time, but that wasn't going to happen if she didn't show up. He supposed Scarlett could have ended up having to work later and gotten so busy that she hadn't had time to let him know. But the longer Fred waited, the worse he felt about the situation. Something wasn't right. Scarlett would have found a way to let him know if something had come up.

He waited until seven o'clock—an hour after Scarlett should have arrived—before he made a decision. He was going to check her flat first and see if she was there. Then, if he had to, he would go to St. Mungo's and see if she was working. Nodding in satisfaction, Fred left the food as it was and Disapparated.

The moment he arrived at Scarlett's flat, Fred began frantically knocking on the door. The more that time passed, the more nervous he was becoming.

Finally, after what seemed like decades, the door swung open. But it was Erica who answered, not Scarlett like Fred had hoped.

"Fred?" Erica asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Did Scarlett happen to get in touch with you to say she was working late or something?" he asked, his voice a bit shaky despite his attempt to keep calm.

"What are you talking about?" Erica asked. "She had her date with you tonight. She came home at five, got ready to leave and left for Diagon Alley a little before six….Why, what's going on?"

"She never showed up." The words came out in a hoarse whisper as a wave of nausea and panic passed through Fred's body. Scarlett wasn't at work. She had come home and left to come see him. That meant that something bad had happened to her, most likely in Diagon Alley.

"What do you mean she never showed up?" Erica asked shrilly. "She left here and went to your flat. She had to have shown up. If this is a prank, Fred, so help me—"

"Why would I joke about something like this?" Fred asked, his voice finding its way back full force. "Scarlett's missing. She could be hurt. And okay, maybe she isn't dead yet, but who knows what they'll do to her—"

"They? Who's they?"

"Umbridge and her crazy Ministry friends," Fred answered swiftly. He just knew that was what happened. They were the ones who had taken Scarlett. The Muggleborn Registration Commission had been officially announced on Monday and now Umbridge was out to get Scarlett for telling Justin. There was no other reason for her to be in danger.

"What should we do?" Erica whispered.

"First, I think we should go make sure her mother's okay. We have to tell her what's going on anyway. We'll also have to tell her that Scarlett warned the Finch about the Registration Commission. Scarlett won't be too happy about that, but I don't really care. All I want to do is make sure she gets back okay."

Erica nodded. "Sounds good to me. Let's go now."

Fred nodded as Erica stepped outside, closing the door behind her. She loosely grabbed Fred's wrist and Disapparated them both to Scarlett's mother's house.

* * *

Scarlett was sitting in an office of the Ministry of Magic, staring down at her hands that had been trembling violently ever since she had been captured.

It didn't help that the person who had captured her, some creepy guy named Scabior, was pacing around behind her, guarding the door to make sure she couldn't leave. They were the only two people in the room; the owner of the office hadn't arrived yet. But it didn't matter because Scarlett knew exactly whose office she was waiting in. Unless, of course, another Ministry employee was obsessed with cats and the color pink.

The room was eerily silent as she waited for Umbridge to get there. The only sounds were the ticking of the clock on the wall and Scabior's footsteps. Scarlett almost wanted him to say something only so it wouldn't be so quiet, but on the other hand, she might puke if she heard his voice.

Her mind was buzzing wildly as she continued to sit in the dark wooden chair with a pink cushion. She wondered if Umbridge had gone after her mother as well. She hoped not, but at the same time she knew why she was here. This was happening because Umbridge had found out that Scarlett had warned Justin about the Muggleborn Registration Commission ahead of time. It was the only option. Scarlett only hoped that she could get Umbridge to agree to leave her mother out of this completely.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of heels clicking down the hallway and Scarlett found herself holding her breath.

"This is going to be fun," Scabior chuckled, opening the door.

Umbridge breezed in, her nose buried in a stack of papers. She didn't acknowledge Scabior or even look up until she was behind her desk, where she raised her eyes to meet Scarlett's She smiled that annoyingly fake smile that Scarlett hadn't missed one bit.

"Hello, Miss Callaway," she said with a giggle. "It's certainly been a while."

"Not long enough if you ask me," Scarlett said through gritted teeth.

Scabior laughed. "Ooh, this one's got quite the attitude."

"I know," Umbridge answered, smiling wider. She tossed her papers onto her desk and leaned forward, resting her palms on the shiny wood of the desktop and staring at Scarlett intently. "Let's get straight to the point, shall we? Where is Justin Finch-Fletchley?"

"I don't know," Scarlett answered swiftly. It was partly the truth. She knew he was at his aunt and uncle's house, but she didn't know where that was.

"You're dating him, are you not?"

"Not anymore. We broke up."

"Ah, such a pity. Why?"

Scarlett shrugged. "We felt it was necessary. We weren't meant to be."

"Seems to me that it ended on a bad note if you haven't kept in touch and he didn't tell you where he was going."

"It didn't end on a bad note. We just drifted."

Umbridge stared at her for a few seconds. "I want to know where he is. He hasn't come in for questioning."

"I don't know. I haven't spoken to him," Scarlett lied with a shrug. She was waiting for Umbridge to accuse her of warning him months ago, but she didn't bring it up. She simply seemed to think Scarlett had an idea of Justin's whereabouts. Was it possible that Umbridge didn't know that Scarlett had warned him?

"I'm tracking down and any and all Muggleborns that didn't show up, you know," Umbridge whispered menacingly. "So I will find him sooner or later."

"Which means I can leave now?" Scarlett asked raising an eyebrow. "Because you aren't going to get information from me."

Umbridge laughed. "You think I'm going to let you leave just like that? So you can go find your little friend and warn him?"

For a second, Scarlett thought Umbridge had known all along and was just waiting for Scarlett to confess on her own, but then again, she would have been more likely to show her anger right away and she would have gone after Scarlett's mother first. But then, Scarlett thought, she didn't actually know if Umbridge had already dealt with her mother or not. She tried to convince herself that if Umbridge had done anything to her mother, she would have said something right away to make Scarlett upset.

"I've already told you that I don't know where Justin is," Scarlett said, staring back at Umbridge unblinkingly.

"I don't think you're quite telling me the truth."

"But I am."

"Fine, let's just say you are," Umbridge whispered leaning closer and narrowing her eyes. "You'd still try to track him down and warn him if I let you go and we can't have that. So you're going to be staying with me for a while. Besides, your mother's been a bit…out of hand this past week."

"My mother?" Scarlett felt her stomach clench.

"Oh, yes," Umbridge sneered as she walked out from behind her desk and began circling Scarlett's chair. "Once the news of the Muggleborn Registration Commission came out, let's just say she has made her feelings on the subject quite plain."

"What did you do to her?" Scarlett asked, glaring at Umbridge as she passed in front of the chair.

"Nothing…yet." Umbridge stopped directly behind Scarlett's chair and giggled. "That's another reason why you'll be staying here. Drastic measures need to be taken to make sure your nosy, good-for-nothing mother behaves."

"Don't talk about her like that!" Scarlett cried.

Umbridge laughed. "I'll talk about her any way I please." She grabbed Scarlett's arm and yanked her to her feet before dragging her across the room and pulling back a book on the bookshelf. A section of the shelf opened to reveal a tiny room about the size of a small closet. The walls and floor were made of stone, it was dimly lit and pretty dingy.

"Welcome to your new home for…well I can't really say, can I?" Umbridge giggled. "Let's just say it'll be for a long time."

As Umbridge and Scabior laughed together, Scarlett was roughly thrown into the small room. The last thing she saw before the door closed was Umbridge's sneering, toad-like face.

* * *

It was nearly midnight and Fred was just returning to Mrs. Callaway's house with Erica and Mrs. Callaway herself. After he and Erica had gone there earlier, they had hurriedly given her the news, and from there, an almost in denial Mrs. Callaway insisted they look everywhere for her missing daughter.

They had checked Diagon Alley, where Scarlett had last been. They had checked Hogsmeade, St. Mungo's and even the cemetery where her father was buried, but Scarlett wasn't at any of those places. It was then that they returned to Mrs. Callaway's house.

Finally seeming to come to the realization that Scareltt was truly missing, Mrs. Callaway sunk into a chair at the kitchen table. Instead of being in hysterics, she just seemed lifeless and in shock. The three of them all thought it made sense that Umbridge had captured Scarlett and the thought not only made Mrs. Callaway worry for her daughter, but also for herself.

"I'm actually surprised they didn't come after me first," she said as Erica began making them all tea.

Fred sat down at the table across from Mrs. Callaway and looked up at the ceiling. "I keep thinking about that too. Why wouldn't Umbridge go for the two of you at once if she suspected you of leaking the news early? Not that I want you to be captured as well, or captured in place of Scarlett, but Scarlett couldn't have found out about the Registration Commission on her own. Umbridge must know that."

"Unless she doesn't know that Scarlett warned Justin and Hermione," Erica said, setting three mugs of tea on the table before sitting down. "Maybe there's another reason for why she took her."

"Once the news of the Muggleborn Registration Commission got out," Mrs. Callaway said slowly, spinning her mug in her hands, "I wasn't exactly…shy about expressing my feelings about it. But, again, I don't see why they wouldn't just come after _me_." She buried her head in her hands. "I don't know. I just want Scarlett home where she belongs."

"We all do," Erica said gently. She glanced at Fred. "And we know she's alive at least."

Fred swallowed and stared into his tea. Sure, Scarlett was alive _now_, but what would happen tomorrow or the next day or the day after? He didn't really think Umbridge would _kill_ anyone, but then again, what did he know? The lady was nuts. There was no telling what she might do.

"Do you need us to stay with you tonight?" Fred asked, looking at Mrs. Callaway.

"No, of course not," she answered with a laugh and a wave of her hand. "I'm sure I'll be fine. Really, if they haven't come after me by now, then I don't think they're going to."

"Are you sure?" Erica asked slowly. "We're more than happy to stay."

"I'll be fine," Mrs. Callaway said again.

Erica sighed and stood up from the table to wash her now empty mug of tea. After a moment, Fred the same, taking Mrs. Callaway's empty mug as well.

"I'm going to stay with her," Erica whispered when Fred reached the sink. "I don't care what she says. I think at least for tonight, she needs someone."

Fred nodded. "I'll stay too," he offered.

Erica shook her head. "No, I think you should go back and tell George what's going on. I'm sure he's worried about you."

"I can send him a note," Fred said, but only half-heartedly. The truth was that he did want to go back to the flat and tell George everything. George was the one person whose presence alone could make him feel better.

Erica seemed to know this and gave him a sympathetic look. "Sending things by owl is too risky right now, especially for you. You're being tracked. Just go home and talk to George. I'll stay here with Scarlett's mum. We'll be fine. I might stop home quickly and get my D.A. coin, though. That's how we can communicate if we need anything, so keep yours on hand once you get home."

Fred nodded. "Good idea." He paused. "Do you think Scarlett has her coin?"

Erica shook her head sadly as she turned and leaned backwards against the counter. "It's sitting on her desk in her room. I saw it there the other day."

Fred sighed heavily. "Okay, I'll head home, then. Let me know if you need anything or hear anything and I'll do the same."

"Sounds good," Erica whispered.

Fred swallowed and nodded before turning away. He said goodbye to Scarlett's mother and left for his flat, letting himself in and rubbing a hand over his eyes. He was exhausted, but felt like if he tried to sleep, he wouldn't be able to.

"Fred?" George stuck his head out of the kitchen and let out a visible sigh of relief when he saw Fred standing in the doorway. "Where were you? I saw all the untouched food when I came home and didn't take it as a good sign."

"Scarlett's missing," Fred sighed, making his way to the couch and sitting down, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes.

"Missing?" George asked, coming over and sitting next to Fred. "What are you talking about?"

"She didn't show up earlier," Fred answered, lowering his hands from his eyes. "I waited an hour before going to her flat. Erica said Scarlett had come home from work on time and then left to come here for six o'clock. But she never arrived."

"So what did you do after you talked to Erica?" George asked in a whisper.

"Erica and I went to Scarlett's mother's house and told her everything. She was in denial at first, so we checked a bunch of places that Scarlett liked to go to before we went back to her mother's house for a bit. Erica's staying with her tonight."

"How is she? Scarlett's mum, I mean."

"More in shock than anything right now," Fred shrugged.

"So…what do you think happened to Scarlett?" George asked quietly.

Fred only needed to glance at his twin to communicate his answer, which George understood.

"Umbridge?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah, it makes sense, doesn't it?" Fred answered impatiently.

"I suppose it does," George agreed. He was quiet for a minute. "I also suppose it's not much consolation to you if I say that we at least know Scarlett's not dead."

Fred half smiled. "No, not really."

George returned the half-smile. "I didn't think so."

"I just—I mean, I'm glad she's not dead, but I want to know that she's _safe_. I want her _home_," Fred said, staring intently at the wall.

"What happens if she does die?" George whispered.

Fred looked up, immediately detecting the fear in George's voice. He knew what George really meant, of course. His twin didn't want Scarlett to die by any means, but what he had really just asked was what would happen when—_if—_Fred's connection to Scarlett through the vow caused him to die.

"She won't," Fred told George reassuringly, even though he knew he couldn't promise it and George knew that too. "She won't die," he repeated, swallowing.

"But if she does?" George asked.

"You'll be okay, Georgie," Fred said, his voice gentle, but also firm, almost like an order. "I know you will."

"Would _you_? Would you be okay? If it was me in your place?" George asked.

Fred looked down at his hands. "I know it sounds impossible, but you'd have to try to stay strong. For me. Okay?"

George didn't say anything for what felt like hours. Finally, he nodded. "Okay," he whispered.

Feeling even more exhausted than he had when he walked in the door, Fred stood up and stretched his arms above his head before lowering them and sighing. "I'm going to try to get some sleep," he said, patting George's shoulder and turning to head for his room.

"Fred?"

"Yeah?" Fred turned and looked at his twin, who was staring at him over the back of the couch.

"What are we going to do? How are we going to get Scarlett back?"

Fred couldn't help but smile at George's use of the word 'we'. They were always in it together, no matter what.

"I think all we can do right now is wait," Fred answered. He hated the answer, but he found it easily pouring out of his mouth and he knew in his gut that it was the best option, even if it didn't seem like it.

"What if we just sneak into the Ministry and get Scarlett out? I'm sure we could do it. I mean, we have plenty of disguise and distraction stuff in the shop and—"

Fred shook his head. As much as he wanted to take George up on his plan, he found himself shooting it down, which was actually kind of odd. Usually, George was the one who thought things through just a little bit more than Fred did.

"It's too risky, George," he found himself saying. "We're being watched as it is. We can't put our family in danger. Besides, we don't _really _know for sure if Umbridge has Scarlett. It's just a very strong hunch. And even if she does have her, we don't know where. She might not be holding her captive at the Ministry at all. I mean, I want nothing more than to get Scarlett home safe, but doing anything would be too risky for us—for anybody. Umbridge or whoever has Scarlett probably knows it, too."

George stared at him for a moment. "I want her back, too, you know. Not just because her life is linked to yours, either. She's a good friend, always has been. And she also makes you happy." George shrugged and smiled. "And when you're happy, I'm happy."

Fred smiled a genuine smile this time. "Thanks, Georgie."

George smiled back. "Anytime."

Ten minutes later, Fred was lying on his stomach in his bed, his hand resting on the pillow beside him as he turned his D.A. coin between his fingers. Even though he knew chances were slim, he kept hoping it would heat up with a message from Erica saying that Scarlett was safe or that she had come home, or even both. Even though he doubted that news would come that night, the night after, or even the night after that, he felt comforted holding the coin in his hand, and eventually, he fell asleep with it held tightly in his fist.

* * *

**A/N: I just _know_ everyone was looking forward to the return of our favorite pink-obsessed villain, right? She's just so much fun to hate. :)**

**I just wanted to say thanks for all of the awesome reviews so far and to everyone who's added this story to their alerts or favorites! It's definitely encouraging to see that so many people are enjoying it!**


	50. Chapter 50

"_Keep your chin up. One day there will be happiness again."_

**-Robin Hood (Robin Hood)**

* * *

Fred woke up to his D.A. coin pulsating heat against his palm. His grip had loosened as he slept and the coin was now resting between his hand and the pillow. The moment he realized what the heat of the coin meant, he sat straight up and held the coin up to his face to read the message.

It was from Erica, but it wasn't specific. Basically, she just needed him to go to Scarlett's mother's house as soon as possible so that she could show him something. Fred sighed dejectedly. If there had any specific news on Scarlett, Erica would have said so. He just hoped whatever she had to show him didn't make him feel worse than he already did. He half had a feeling that it would, though.

Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Fred glanced at his watch. It was nearly seven in the morning. The joke shop opened at eight. Depending on what Erica had to tell him, he could possibly make it back on time to help George open. But then again, it didn't seem all that possible. It really wasn't _that_ big of a deal. He was here to help open every day and this was important. George would understand. It would be fine just as long as Fred didn't come back _too_ late.

Jumping out of bed, Fred dressed as quickly as he could. As he was putting on his shoe, he saved a few seconds by half running, half hopping the few feet down the hallway to George's room. He knocked quickly and tried to keep his balance as he stood on one foot to tie his shoe.

George swung open his bedroom door a moment later. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at Fred, still wobbling on one foot. "What's up?" he asked.

"I need to go talk to Erica. She has news. I might be back a little late to help open the shop, if that's okay." He finished tying his shoe and put his foot down with a small sigh of relief.

"Yeah, of course. Verity will be here shortly. We'll manage."

"Thanks, Georgie." Fred gave his twin an appreciative smile and clapped him on the shoulder before quickly making a beeline for the door. Once he reached the street, he Disapparated with a pop.

Erica answered the door to Mrs. Callaway's house within two seconds of Fred's knock. "Took you long enough. Come on," she said, grabbing Fred's arm and dragging him towards the kitchen.

"I got here as soon as I could," Fred told her. "Why, what's going on?" He was growing more and more nervous with every step he took.

"A letter came for Scarlett's mum today," Erica said as they reached the kitchen. She pointed at Mrs. Callaway, who was sitting in the same chair at the kitchen table as she had been when Fred left the night before. She was staring at the letter in her hands with almost a zombie-like expression. The fact that her eyes weren't moving let Fred know that she had already read the letter and was simply trying to process it.

"Is it from Scarlett?" Fred asked, looking at Erica. "Please tell me it is and please tell me she's okay."

Erica shook her head. "No, it's not." She stepped forward and gently slid the letter from Mrs. Callaway's grasp before handing it to Fred, who noticed that the paper it was written on was light pink. Immediately, he felt as if his insides had gotten even heavier than they had been last night. He shifted his gaze to Mrs. Callaway, who hadn't moved except to slowly lower her hands to her lap.

"Is she okay?" Fred whispered, looking at Erica. Everything he was taking in was telling him the answer was no, but he couldn't help but hold onto a sliver of hope that maybe something good was written on the pink paper in his hands.

"She's in shock, I think," Erica answered, looking at Mrs. Callaway. "She hasn't said a word since she got the letter. She hasn't really moved either. I read it over her shoulder and wrote to you and she stayed in the same position the whole time."

"Is it the good kind of shock or the bad kind?" Fred asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Just read the letter and you'll understand," Erica sighed, crossing her arms.

Fred continued to stare at her for a moment longer before he slid his gaze down to the letter. As he read, his expression darkened. "How dare she," he hissed.

"I know," Erica whispered in agreement, staring at Mrs. Callaway, who was blankly staring at the wall and was still sitting in the same position, unmoving, with her hands folded in her lap.

Fred tossed the letter onto the table. If he didn't get it out of his grasp, he was going to end up ripping it to shreds, which he couldn't do. They were most likely going to have to look over it again and think about what to do next.

The letter had been from the toad, as Fred had expected. Basically, she admitted to having Scarlett held captive and had then gone on to tell Mrs. Callaway to not only comply with the Muggleborn Registration Act, but to write an article praising it. She also wanted her to start designing wanted ads for the Muggleborns who hadn't shown up. She even wanted an ad designed for Harry. These wanted ads would then be distributed to every magazine and newspaper in the wizarding world. Lastly, and this might have been the worst requirement of all, Umbridge wanted Mrs. Callaway to write a letter to St. Mungo's as Scarlett, and inform them that she was quitting. Once Mrs. Callaway had done all of this, Umbridge would "consider" giving Scarlett back.

That one word seemed to infuriate Fred more than anything else. She would _consider _it. Basically, Scarlett coming back wasn't even definite. It wasn't even fair. In essence, if Scarlett's mother didn't do what Umbridge asked, there was no way she was going to be reunited with her daughter anytime soon. And if she _did_ do what Umbridge asked, she would be going against everything she so firmly believed in and Scarlett would be out of a job.

The more Fred thought about it, the angrier he became. He was only partially aware that his hands were balled into fists. "She can't do this," he said, his voice low with anger as he turned to Erica. "Honestly, what's her problem? She thinks she can go around ruining people's lives and bribing them by holding their _children_ captive? She's completely and utterly twisted."

"It's nothing we didn't know," Erica sighed. She looked at Fred wearily. "We knew she was odd ever since we first saw her."

"Maybe to some extent, but not really," Fred argued, shaking his head. "We knew she was weird, but this," he gestured to the letter that was still lying on the table, "this is _insane_."

"I know," Erica whispered. "What are we going to do?"

Fred opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted by Mrs. Callaway as she spoke for the first time since Fred had arrived.

"You two don't have to do anything," she said, looking up at them. Her voice was stronger than Fred had expected it to be and that surprised him. He expected she was just trying to hold her own for how—at least until she was alone. If she and Scarlett were anything alike, she wasn't going to break down until later.

"What are you talking about?" Erica asked.

"It's me that has to do all that stuff," Mrs. Callaway said, gesturing to the letter with a tilt of her head.

"Are you going to?" Erica asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Scarlett's all I have. Besides my sister, Emily, but Emily and I don't get to see much of each other. She's quite busy and lives far away….and especially now with the war…." She trailed off and shook her head. "Scarlett's always been strong. Even when she doesn't feel like she is. When her father died, she was strong for me and I appreciate that. Really my point is that I can't afford to break down right now. She needs me, so now it's my turn to be strong for her."

"So you're going to do all this stuff?" Erica asked in almost a tone of disbelief. "Just like that?"

"I don't know," Mrs. Callaway whispered.

"Everything Umbridge asked you to do goes against what you believe in," Erica said. "I'm not saying that I don't want to do whatever it takes to get Scarlett back, but I worry that, well, even if you do what Umbridge asked, she still won't let Scarlett go."

"It's that one word. Consider. She'll _consider_ letting Scarlett go," Fred said, glaring down at the letter with sheer hatred.

"Exactly," Erica nodded, looking at Mrs. Callaway. "I don't think you should do anything yet until we think things through a bit more."

Mrs. Callaway took a deep breath through her nose and looked at the ceiling. "Half of me doesn't want to wait. Half of me wants to do everything I've been asked to do, and quickly, so it'll at least increase the chances of Scarlett coming back. But on the other hand….you're right. It goes against everything I believe in. I _don't _like the Muggleborn Registration Commission, I _don't _think she should be hunting them down when they don't show up, and as far as putting Scarlett out of a job…that's just ridiculous. She's doing that just to be mean."

"We know," Erica said. "And like we said, who's to say that she'll even give Scarlett back right away? That word—_consider_—it concerns me. And we all know you and Umbridge aren't exactly the best of friends. I'm afraid you doing what she says might all amount to nothing in the end. At least for a little while."

"So you don't think I should do anything?" Mrs. Callaway looked up at them, her expression a mix of fear, worry and exhaustion. "I definitely won't get anywhere with Umbridge then."

"No, I think we should think something through," Erica said. "Maybe we can negotiate something with Umbridge—"

Fred snorted with laughter while Mrs. Callaway rolled her eyes. "I think you've forgotten who we're talking about here."

"No, I didn't, but—"

"Okay, listen," Fred sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. His head was already starting to hurt and it wasn't even eight o'clock yet. "I can't really stand here and argue about this all day. I have to go to work and—"

"So do I!" Erica exclaimed. "I have to open for nine, but instead I'm trying to figure out how to get my best friend back! I think that's more important."

"You think I don't want her back?" Fred asked, his voice rising. He looked away and took in a deep breath through his nose. "How about the three of us go about our normal, everyday lives until the day is over? Then we'll meet back here at seven and hopefully one of us will have thought of something by then. But nobody does anything until we can all agree on the best way to handle this."

Erica looked ready to protest, but instead, she closed her mouth and crossed her arms. "Fine."

"Is that good for you?" Fred asked Scarlett's mother, his tone quiet.

She nodded. "Yeah, I suppose that would make the most sense."

"I know you're anxious and I also don't want to make it seem like Erica and I are telling you what to do. I understand you're a grown woman, but it's just…." He blew a puff of air out of his mouth. "I don't want you to do anything irrational right now. By tonight, we'll all have had a chance to calm down. And I want you to know we're all in this together, okay?"

Scarlett's mother nodded. "I appreciate it," she whispered.

Fred half-smiled and turned towards the door. He paused before turning around slightly to look at Erica. "If you need anything, I have my D.A. coin."

Erica nodded. "I have mine too, so the same goes for you."

With another nod, Fred let himself out of the house and Disapparated back to the shop, which was undoubtedly going to be mobbed. Normally, Fred wouldn't have minded, but today he didn't see how he was going to make it through.

* * *

Scarlett was miserable. Actually, miserable was probably an understatement. She was exhausted, scared, angry, sore, tired and hungry all at once. None of those things were enjoyable on their own, but combined, they were downright awful.

After Umbridge had shut her in the tiny room behind the bookshelf, Scarlett had naturally been angry, but also terrified. She knew Umbridge wasn't going to let her go any time soon and she also knew she wouldn't be getting the best treatment.

So far, she had been locked away for about twenty four hours. She knew this from the quick glance she had taken at her watch about thirty minutes ago when Umbridge had opened the door and deposited a measly amount of food by Scarlett's feet. The same thing had happened at around seven that morning as well. She had been allowed to use a bathroom right off of Umbridge's office twice that day—once in the morning and once about an hour ago. Technically, Scarlett never had to leave Umbridge's office and venture out into the actual Ministry. This way, nobody would see her and know she was there except her, Umbridge and Scabior.

Besides getting two meals—if they could be called that—and two bathroom breaks a day, Scarlett hadn't slept well the night before either. Naturally, sleeping on the floor of a cramped, stone room was anything but comfortable. Her neck and back were already aching and were most likely only going to get worse.

She lay curled on her side, her head resting on her arm that was stretched out on the ground. With the other hand, she absentmindedly traced the edge of the dish that had previously held an apple and two pieces of bread—her dinner. Being alone in this crappier version of a prison cell for twenty four hours had given her lots of time to think. Now she was thinking of her mother, Erica and Fred. Actually, she had thought of little else. She wondered what they were doing and how they were handling her disappearance. What had Fred done when she hadn't shown up the night before? How long did it take him to realize she was missing? Did they suspect Umbridge? Were they going to try and rescue her? As much as she wanted to be rescued, she hoped they wouldn't risk anything for her. Things were dangerous now as they were, never mind sneaking into the Ministry of Magic.

She missed them, to say the least. And she had no idea when she would see them again, which was the worst part. She longed to be able to kiss Fred, hug her mother, and laugh with Erica while they stayed up late and talked about anything and everything. Something else she not only missed, but really needed right now, was the way Fred could make her feel better. Even if things were looking terrible, he could make her feel like no matter what, they would turn out okay again if they were just patient enough. Sighing, Scarlett closed her eyes and tried to tell herself that. She tried to convince herself that things would end up being okay again soon. She told herself that every minute she sat imprisoned was one minute closer to being free. But even as she told herself that, she got the feeling that there were still a lot of minutes to go.

* * *

**A/N: We've made it to 50 chapters! I know it's not the happiest or most exciting chapter, but it's 50 nonetheless, which is exciting because I've never written a fic this long before, so I feel like it might possibly be a milestone. **

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	51. Chapter 51

"_Hope is the greatest of the gifts we'll receive."_

**-Belle (Beauty and the Beast, Enchanted Christmas)**

* * *

Fred closed and locked the door to the shop before flipping the sign hanging on it so that it read _closed_. Then, he sighed and rested his forehead on the cool glass as he closed his eyes.

"You know, you might scare people away if they walk by and see your face pressed against the door," George said from the counter where he was locking up the register.

"My head hurts like you wouldn't believe," Fred groaned, finally turning and walking over to the counter. "And I still have to go back to Scarlett's mother's house in," he glanced at his watch, "half an hour."

"We were so busy today you never got to tell me what happened this morning," George said, finishing with the register and hopping up to sit on the counter. He picked up his legs and swiveled around so he was facing the front of the shop before lowering his legs and gently kicking the counter with his heels. "What did Erica want?"

"Scarlett's mother got a letter from Umbridge this morning," Fred answered, resting his elbows on the counter and rubbing his eyes.

"And?" George prodded quietly.

"Umbridge wants Scarlett's mother to write an article praising the questioning of Muggleborns, design a wanted ad for Harry as well as for all the Muggleborns who didn't come in for questioning, and write to St. Mungo's pretending to be Scarlett to say that she's quitting her job. And then Umbridge will _consider_ handing Scarlett over."

George was completely silent in response to Fred's news. Fred could practically hear his twin blinking in shock. He looked up and waited a few seconds longer to see if George would say anything, but he didn't.

"You're quiet," he finally pointed out, straightening up and hopping up on the counter beside his twin.

"I just…don't know what I want to say first," George whispered. "Umbridge expects Scarlett's mother to do all that? And what's up with her wanting to put Scarlett out of a job? Why is she so against Scarlett being a Healer?"

Fred shrugged. "I think she just wants to make Scarlett's life miserable. She knows how much Scarlett loves her job and how much it means to her."

"Is Scarlett's mum going to do what Umbridge wants?"

Fred shrugged a second time as he stared out across the shop. "That's what we're going to discuss tonight. It's kind of a tough decision, believe it or not."

"I do believe it," George said, leaning back on his hands. "We all want Scarlett back, but those requirements would make anyone vomit. Almost as effective as our Puking Pastils, I'd say."

"Mm," Fred agreed, nodding vaguely. He felt George turn to look at him, but he still didn't say anything more. The past twenty four hours had been a nightmare and he just wanted it all to be over.

"I'll come with you tonight," George finally said. "To Scarlett's mother's house."

Fred looked over at his twin in slight surprise. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, anything to help. Why do you look so surprised?"

"I'm not. I just—you don't have to do this."

"But I want to. And why shouldn't I? Scarlett's my friend. I'm worried about her just as much as everyone else."

Fred nodded and turned back to stare out at the shop.

"Should we head on over?" George asked, looking at his watch. "It's a little early, but sitting here isn't going to be productive, is it?"

Fred almost smiled. "Yeah, let's go," he said, sliding off the counter. "I need to keep myself occupied, even if it's by discussing how to rescue my kidnapped girlfriend."

"Hey, discussing it's a start," George reasoned. "It'll help us think things through and maybe once we do that, it'll make us feel better."

Fred shrugged. "Maybe. I certainly hope so."

"So do I," George agreed. "Now let's go form a game plan to take old toad face down."

This time, Fred did smile. "That's what I like to hear."

An hour later, after a lot of discussion, a lot of reasoning, and some raised voices, the four people in Mrs. Callaway's living room had gotten nowhere in their plan on how to get Scarlett home. Fred was irritated to say the least. They had made little progress since their discussion that morning and he detested every moment they sat arguing about what to do. He felt like they were in a maze, running into every dead end imaginable.

"Umbridge can't give these requirements and say she'll _consider_ giving Scarlett back," Erica insisted from the armchair by the fire that she was currently curled up in. "It isn't fair. If she wants to bargain, she has to hold up her end."

"We _know_," Fred sighed from the couch. His elbows were resting on his knees and his chin was resting in his hands as he stared into the fire. "We've said that a million times."

"Well I'm just saying it again," Erica sniffed. "I really think we should talk to Umbridge and tell her that she needs to promise to give Scarlett back or it's no deal."

"And it's a deal if she does promise?" Fred asked, looking at Erica. "From there we can just say 'oh sure, yeah, we'll praise your stupid Muggleborn Registration Commission and make wanted ads and put Scarlett _out of her job_'? I don't think so. Besides, it's not that simple. Umbridge has Scarlett. If we don't quietly agree to her stupid requirements without a fight, or if we try to negotiate, who knows what she'll do? She might keep her longer, or even…." He trailed off and swallowed. "She might hurt her. Or even kill her."

"Don't say that," Mrs. Callaway whispered from the armchair on the opposite side of the fireplace from Erica. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. She had been pretty quiet for the past hour and Fred knew she was torn. She didn't know what to do or what her opinion was. She wanted Scarlett back, but Umbridge's requirements weren't easy to just _do_. Maybe the first two could be done—in the same way a child will hold their nose while taking medicine, of course—but putting Scarlett out of a job was the one that was really messing everyone up. It felt like a betrayal to Scarlett.

"Okay, then, Fred, what do _you_ think we should do?" Erica asked, leaning back in her chair and waiting for his answer. "Enlighten us. Tell us _your _genius plan."

"I don't have one!" Fred exclaimed.

"Exactly," Erica shot back, "which makes you unfit to shoot mine down."

"I just think Umbridge isn't someone who can be messed with, reasoned with or negotiated with," Fred said. "We have to think of something else."

"Like what?" Erica asked, throwing up her hands and laughing in disbelief. "Agree to Umbridge's requirements? Break into the Ministry, hold her at wand point and demand to know where Scarlett is?"

"I actually suggested the second one," George said from the other end of the couch as he looked at Fred, "but he went all rational on me."

"Because breaking into the Ministry is stupid, George," Erica said with a sigh.

"But it's still tempting, though," George shrugged.

"It is, but it's definitely unsafe," Fred said, shaking his head.

"So, what, you just want to do what Umbridge asked?" Erica asked, crossing her arms.

"Is that what I said?" Fred shot back, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, maybe not directly, but—"

"I didn't say that and I didn't imply it!" Fred said, his voice rising in frustration.

"Okay, okay, why don't we just take a little break?" George suggested, holding up his hands. He was always the one who could quickly and easily switch to mediator mode and Fred had always secretly admired that about him. "Fred, how about you and I go pick up some food from the Leaky Cauldron and bring it back here? I'm sure we're all hungry. I know I am. Having to skip lunch today to work on inventions is really starting to get to me." He smiled half-heartedly as he tried to lighten the mood. Fred could've hugged him for that attempt, even though it didn't work.

"I'm not really that hungry," Fred muttered, looking back into the fire. He should have been—he had missed lunch too, after all—but his insides were currently being occupied by anxiety, frustration, sadness and anger, leaving no room for hunger.

"You need to eat, Fred," Mrs. Callaway said quietly.

"Have _you_ eaten today?" George asked her.

"Oh, yeah, I ate," she said, nodding, her tone nonchalant as if George shouldn't be worrying.

Erica gave her a look. "Yeah, you ate about half a carrot stick."

Mrs. Callaway blushed and looked at her hands. "Well, you didn't eat either. All you had was half an apple."

"Okay, well that settles it," George said decisively, standing up. "I'm getting us food. Fred, you're coming with me."

"I said I'm not hungry," Fred muttered, his eyes still on the fire.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you, but you can at least help me get the food. Now, come on." He grabbed Fred's arm and pulled him to his feet before looking at Mrs. Callaway and Erica. "We'll be back."

"Oh, wait, I'll give you the money to buy the food," Mrs. Callaway said, getting up from her chair.

"No, don't worry about it. I got it. You just sit," George insisted, dragging Fred from the house. Once they reached the front yard, he Apparated them to Diagon Alley before finally letting go of Fred's arm.

The two of them were quiet for a moment as they walked, but Fred could feel George looking at him. He pretended he didn't notice. He knew that George would say something eventually.

"I needed to get you out of there," George finally said. "It was getting tense."

"I know. I'm glad you got me out, actually. I needed some air." He glanced at their shop as they passed it before looking away, sighing and sticking his hands in his pockets. "It just upsets me to think that she was taken in Diagon Alley. Right near the shop. I feel like I should have heard a scream or something. I should have been able to go rescue her."

"There probably wasn't a scream to hear," George pointed out. "Whoever Umbridge sent to capture her wouldn't _want_ anyone to come running. It's not your fault."

"She was just _so_ close," Fred whispered, scanning the street as if there would be some sign of where exactly Scarlett had been kidnapped. "We were right down the street and unable to help her."

George gave his twin a sympathetic look. "I don't think she'll blame you."

Fred shrugged. "I would if I were her."

They reached the Leaky Cauldron and George stopped in front of the door before turning to face Fred. "We're going to get her back. I promise."

Fred didn't answer. Instead, he just stared absently at the sign above the door to the Leaky Cauldron.

George sighed before turning and pulling open the door. "Come on," he said, gesturing for Fred to go first with a tilt of his head. "By the way," he added, following Fred through the door, "I'm forcing you to eat something, even if I have to shove it down your throat. You're eating."

"Fine, _mother_," Fred answered, rolling his eyes.

"What do you want?" George asked.

Fred shrugged. "Pick something for me. It doesn't matter. Food is food, right?"

George stared at his twin, open-mouthed. "We really do need to get Scarlett back. You're losing your mind. _Food is food_. Honestly, Fred." He grinned and nudged his twin, who managed a half-smile in return. George patted his shoulder before stepping up to the counter to order.

* * *

It was the end of day two of Scarlett's imprisonment and she felt terrible. She was still being minimally fed and not getting enough sleep. She was also bored. The room she was in was completely spell proof so even though she still had her wand, she couldn't even perform any spells to amuse herself. Besides that, she had had an especially rough morning.

Umbridge had come in and roughly dragged Scarlett out into the office before roughly throwing her into a chair.

"Your mother hasn't answered my letter yet."

"What letter?" Scarlett asked. When had Umbridge sent her mother a letter? What had it said?

"I sent her a letter telling her what she could do for me to have a short of getting you back safe and sound. Like I said, measures need to be taken to keep certain people in line."

"What did you ask her to do?" Scarlett asked menacingly, gripping the arms of the chair.

Umbridge smiled. "That's not important right now. What's important is that she hasn't replied yet and I'm getting impatient."

"When did you send the letter?"

"Yesterday morning."

Scarlett snorted. "She's not going to answer you that soon. If I know anything about you, you probably asked her to do something insane." She rolled her eyes. She knew her mother would do anything to make sure Scarlett was safe, but whatever Umbridge asked her to do most likely put her in a tricky situation and Scarlett couldn't blame her mother for needing some time to figure out what to do.

"I'm getting a little _tired_ of your attitude, Miss Callaway," Umbridge snapped, narrowing her eyes.

"Are you now?" Scarlett shot back.

"Crucio!"

Scarlett had not expected to be hit with the spell and that actually made it worse. She screamed in agony and curled up in the chair she was in, hoping that it would either stop soon, or that someone would hear her screaming and come in to see what all the noise was about. Both of those options would actually be fantastic.

Finally, after what felt like entirely too long of a period of time, Umbridge lifted the curse and looked down at Scarlett. Seeming to know what she was thinking, she smiled.

"No one will hear you. I've had charms but up around my office."

"Of course you have," Scarlett groaned, resting her head against the back of the chair.

"I don't have a lot of patience, Miss Callaway. Your mother needs to complete every requirement I've given her or else she's most definitely not going to get you back. And the longer she ignores my letter, the more I'm going to torture you."

"That's not fair," Scarlett managed to gasp out. She was still trying to catch her breath.

"I'd say it is, Miss Callaway," Umbridge giggled. "You're lucky I'm not going to torture you anymore today. But I don't think you'll always be this lucky." She opened the door to the secret room behind the bookshelf and grabbed Scarlett's arm, roughly tossing her back inside. Scarlett had to wonder how such a small woman could be so strong.

"You'd better hope your mother answers my letter soon," Umbridge continued. "If she doesn't, it'll just seem as if she doesn't want you home after all."

Scarlett aimed a kick at Umbridge's ankle, but she was too weak from the Cruciatus Curse and Umbridge was too quick, so all Scarlett ended up doing was feebly kicking the door as Umbridge slammed it shut.

As much as Scarlett knew Umbridge was mean, hurtful, cruel, and untruthful, she couldn't help but replay the toad's words over and over in her mind. _It'll just seem as if she doesn't want you home after all_. Of course her mother wanted her home. Scarlett knew she did. But Scarlett was scared. She was becoming more and more frightened every day and was actually starting to think she might die in here. If her mother couldn't or wouldn't complete whatever ridiculous requirements Umbridge had given her, how was Scarlett ever going to escape?


	52. Chapter 52

"_Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind. Or forgotten."_

**-Lilo (Lilo and Stitch)**

* * *

Fred didn't know how he was making it through every day that Scarlett continued to be held captive by Umbridge. It was almost Christmas and Scarlett still wasn't home. Normally, Fred would have looked forward to bringing Scarlett to the Burrow like he had done the year before. He would have looked forward to sitting in front of the fire as Scarlett leaned against his side. He would have played with her hair and they would have talked about anything and everything. Or even if they didn't, it still would have been comfortable.

Instead, he had to remind himself that none of that would happen this year and it made him feel sick. Then again, he always felt sick these days. He felt like he couldn't do anything without being reminded of Scarlett. His Peter Pan book reminded him of her, the roof and looking at the stars reminded him of her, Every Flavor Beans reminded him of her, and even Binky reminded him of her. The pygmy puff had noticed not only Scarlett's absence, but Fred's sadness as well, and in turn, he had become sad as well. He tried to make Fred feel better by constantly attempting to play with him and by snuggling up to him at night, but it was actually making Fred feel worse. Scarlett had loved Binky and Binky had loved Scarlett. He didn't want to show his real feelings, though, so in the end, he always let Binky hang around as he tried not to think about how upset he was.

He, George and Lee had also started Potterwatch, a radio station they had created to report news about not only Harry, but about everyone and everything. They reported deaths and attacks of wizards, witches and Muggles, and they offered any information they heard about You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. They reported from a new secluded location every week and had a password to make the station more secure. While it was exciting in a way, it only took Fred's mind off of things for a little while and every week he found himself wishing one of them would come across any news about Scarlett, even if it was just how she was doing. All he knew right now was that she was alive, but it wasn't enough.

As for Umbridge and her stupid requirements, Mrs. Callaway had made the wanted ads and wrote the article praising the Muggleborn Registration Commission. She had hated it, but she had done it. Erica had stayed with her the day she finished and sent everything in and the next day, Erica had reported that Mrs. Callaway had actually broken down and cried from all the stress. The one thing Mrs. Callaway couldn't bear to do, though, was pose as Scarlett and write to St. Mungo's to quit her job, and it was the one thing standing in the way of Umbridge letting Scarlett go. Or at least _considering_ it. Fred couldn't blame Mrs. Callaway for not fulfilling this requirement. He felt just as torn as she did, and Erica and George did as well.

St. Mungo's had actually contacted Mrs. Callaway about a week and a half after Scarlett's disappearance to inquire about where Scarlett was, seeing as she hadn't shown up for work and hadn't contacted them saying she wouldn't be coming in. Mrs. Callaway simply said that Scarlett would simply be on leave for the time being. This was able to buy everyone a little more time while they continued to think of how to possibly get Scarlett back without having to ruin her career.

Mrs. Callaway had been holding up fairly well as far as Fred knew. But then again, he also knew that she wouldn't let him see her fall apart. Erica was a little more comfortable with showing how upset she was. She spent a lot of her free time with either Scarlett's mother or with Fred and George. She hated being alone at the flat she once shared with Scarlett.

As for Fred, well, he didn't think he would have even made it as far as he had if it hadn't been for George. George kept him occupied, talked things through when Fred felt like it, listened to Fred rant, even when he began to repeat himself, and made sure he ate three meals a day. If it wasn't for George, Fred would have either gone insane or starved to death by now.

The only thing George wasn't able to make Fred do was sleep. Fred had been telling his twin he was sleeping okay, but he was sure George noticed the dark circles under his eyes and just hadn't said anything. Yet.

The truth was that most nights, Fred only got three to five hours of sleep. Sometimes he even tossed and turned all night. It was a pain and Fred certainly didn't enjoy or ask for it, but he just couldn't help it. Every day he expected George to say something, but it never happened. That is, until two days before Christmas.

"I know you're not sleeping," George said as the two of them worked the registers at the shop. They usually needed two people during the holiday season as the shop was usually mobbed up until Christmas Eve. Usually, Fred enjoyed it, but not today.

"I figured you knew," Fred answered dully, handing a hassled looking witch her bag of merchandise. "What gave it away? The fact that I now yawn so much that I'm more effective at catching flies than a Venus Fly Trap? Or is it the fact that I have circles under my eyes that are so dark, it looks like Grawp punched me?"

"Neither," George said, fighting to keep a straight face. "The flat has been eerily quiet in the absence of your troll snores."

"Shut up," Fred muttered as George laughed. "I don't snore." He nudged his twin with his elbow and cracked a tiny smile of his own. He found himself rarely smiling anymore, and in the instances when he did, they were only small smiles and usually brought out by George. Fred hated the lack of smiling and laughing that was going on, but again, he couldn't help it. He was miserable and had been since Scarlett had gone missing.

"Honestly, though, Fred, it's obvious you aren't sleeping. And I didn't want to say anything, but I don't think I can ignore it anymore. Do I have to put Sleeping Charms on you now? Or give you a Sleeping Potion every night? Because I can and will do one or the other."

"No, George," Fred sighed, shaking his head and internally rolling his eyes as a witch approached the counter with a screaming toddler propped against her hip. "You've been doing enough for me as it is."

"I'm _worried_," George answered. He actually stopped what he was doing and looked at Fred, causing the man at his register to frown. "I'm worried about your health."

"And I'm worried about unhappy customers," Fred answered, gesturing to the frowning man.

George rolled his eyes and turned back to the customers. "Seriously, Fred, you need your sleep."

"You think I don't know that? I can't control it, though. I just can't get myself to sleep, no matter what."

"Sleeping Potion or Sleeping Charm. Take your pick," George replied, emptying a handful of Galleons into the drawer of the register.

Before Fred could answer, a familiar redhead appeared at Fred's elbow. "Ginny!" he exclaimed. Then, he saw the person standing beside her. "Hi, Neville."

Neville held up his hand in a wave, but didn't say anything. He seemed somewhat sad. It was then that Fred noticed that Ginny looked sad and upset as well. He was instantly angry. Nobody messed with his sister and her friends.

"What's up?" George asked, his face etched with concern. He paused in ringing up customers, but some rude woman shoved a pile of merchandise into his arms.

"I'm on a schedule," she snapped.

George didn't respond. Instead, he started ringing up the woman's merchandise, but with a little more force than necessary. Fred knew he was biting his tongue. It wasn't a good idea to snap at the customers.

"What's going on?" Fred asked Ginny. He could tell George was listening in as he practically threw the irritable woman's things into a bag and shoved it at her.

"We just got off the Hogwarts Express," Ginny said.

"I figured seeing as you're standing in front of me." He paused. "You do realize I was asking you why you seem so upset, don't you? I wasn't literally asking you what's going on."

"Of course I knew that," Ginny snapped. She sighed. "Sorry, it's just...Luna got taken off the train."

"What do you mean she was taken off the train?" Fred repeated, nearly dropping the money a customer had just handed him.

"She was taken off the train," Ginny repeated, slower this time. "Death Eaters stopped the train halfway through, came on and dragged her away."

"Why?" Fred asked the question anyway, despite the fact that he thought he already knew the answer.

"Her father still refuses to print the wanted ads that Scarlett's mother made," Ginny explained. It was exactly what Fred had expected her to say.

"He has guts," George said, shaking his head. "More than we had."

"Yeah, but his kid wasn't being held hostage before. Now, he might not be as brave," Fred pointed out. He looked at Ginny. "What _is_ he going to do now that Luna's being held captive?"

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. We haven't talked to him."

Fred glanced at Neville, who had been totally silent and was looking completely shell-shocked. "You okay?" he asked.

Ginny smirked knowingly. "He likes Luna. I'd even argue that he's in love with her."

"I am not!" Neville protested, snapping out of his trance.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Fine, Neville, whatever you say." She turned back to the twins. "Anyway, I thought you'd want to know. Mum knows already. I told her at King's Cross and then she took my trunk home and let me come here with Neville."

"How is Mum?" George asked.

"She's okay. I think the news about Luna worried her even more, but…." She trailed off and shrugged. "Any news on Scarlett?"

"None," Fred responded, shaking his head.

Ginny slowly let out a breath. "I hate this."

"Me too, trust me," Fred answered.

"Me three," added George.

"Well, if you hear anything, let me know," Ginny said.

"Yeah, same goes for you," George said. He glanced at Neville. "Are you sure he's okay?"

Fred looked up to see that Neville was nervously fidgeting around and looking as pale as ever.

"He's just panicking," Ginny said, looking at Neville over her shoulder. "It's what Neville does. Throw in the fact that he likes Luna—"

"I don't!"

"You do. Anyway, throw that in and he's a nervous, pale, clammy mess."

"Why don't you take him up to the flat and get him some water or something?" George suggested. "He's clearly not focused enough to Apparate you home and I don't want either of you getting splinched. You can both stay for dinner, too, if you want. Fred and I like having company. Especially lately."

Ginny nodded. "Okay, good idea."

Fred let out a puff of air as Ginny and Neville headed into the back room where the stairs to the flat were. "So I guess that's their thing now, huh? Kidnapping kids and bribing their parents?"

"It's completely twisted, but pretty smart in a way," George said, taking money from a customer's outstretched hand and putting it in the cash register. "They want everyone to behave without having to kill too many magical people. And Umbridge is just naturally unstable anyway."

"I wonder if they're keeping Luna with Scarlett," Fred said. "They'll have each other for company that way. And Luna would actually be pretty great to be held captive with. She'd manage to see the bright side of things."

George shrugged. "Maybe, but Umbridge and the Death Eaters are separate people. Umbridge has Scarlett to force her mother to behave, but she also just likes to pick on them because of her own sick personal reasons."

Fred sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what to do. Part of me feels like we should meet Umbridge's last requirement because it'll get us Scarlett back alive. But then I remember doing this actually only gets us a _consideration_. And just imagining Scarlett's _face_ when she finds out she no longer has a job—a job that she absolutely loves."

"I know," George whispered. He glanced at Fred. "Do you think…well, if Mrs. Callaway is up to it, do you think she should meet with Umbridge?"

Fred shot his brother a look as he completely stopped what he was doing causing the customer in front of him to roll her eyes and cross her arms in impatience. Was George crazy? Fred had already explained why he thought they shouldn't reason or negotiate with Umbridge.

"I don't mean to try to negotiate or reason with her," George explained quickly when he noticed Fred's face. "But maybe just to see _why_ she'll only consider giving Scarlett back. Just to get a clearer view on things. And maybe negotiation can happen, too. Given that Umbridge behaves in a civilized manner, of course."

"When's the last time you saw a civilized toad?" Fred muttered. "They're animals. Slimy ones at that."

George half-smiled before he continued speaking. "And if you want my opinion, I don't think Umbridge will actually kill Scarlett. She needs to hold on to her to continue bribing her mother to behave."

"If Mrs. Callaway ends up flat out refusing to put Scarlett out of a job, maybe Umbridge _will_ kill Scarlett. The truth is, I have no idea how to deal with any of this without someone getting hurt in some way."

"Neither do I," George whispered. There was a pause. "But if we drag out our decision as long as possible, Umbridge will most likely keep Scarlett alive. So all we have to do for now is delay giving her an answer until we can figure out a definite way to get Scarlett back."

"Do you think we could lie?" Fred asked suddenly. "Do you think we could tell Umbridge we did what she asked? It's not like her other requirements where she would know if we did them or not."

George shrugged. "I get the feeling that she'd want proof or she'd check to make sure we did it."

Fred's shoulders slumped dejectedly. George had a point. Was there really no way out of this mess without making someone unhappy?

George noticed Fred's expression and nudged his arm. "Hey, I promised you we'd get her out of there, didn't I?" he asked when Fred looked up.

"Yeah…."

"I intend to keep that promise," George said sincerely. "We'll get her back, Fred. And everything will be okay. Well, as okay as it can get considering this whole war thing…."

Fred actually let out the tiniest of laughs. "Thanks, George."

"Don't mention it. Just promise me one thing in return."

"What's that?"

"Well, I actually never thought I'd say this, but I want you to promise that I'll hear you snoring tonight."

"I _don't_ snore! It's Binky that snores."

"Fine, but I want you to sleep, okay? It's not healthy for you to be lying awake every night."

"Maybe _you_ should've become a Healer."

"Maybe _you_ should shut up," George grinned. "Anyway, promise me you'll at least try your very hardest to get a good night's rest from now on?"

Fred sighed. He couldn't say no. This was his twin and his best friend asking him to do this and because of that he had to agree, no matter how little faith he had in his ability to fall asleep. He had to at least try. If not for himself, then for George. "I promise," he said.

* * *

"Fred? Fred, dear, what are you doing out here? It's snowing and it's cold out."

Fred didn't even turn at the sound of his mother's voice. He was sitting on the back steps of the Burrow with his chin in his hand as he drew shapes in the snow with a stick. "I'll be inside in a minute," he said quietly.

"We'll be having dessert soon. And after that, we'll be opening presents. Your two favorite parts of Christmas," Mrs. Weasley added hopefully.

Mrs. Weasley was quiet for a moment. "You hardly touched your dinner and I know you've only been sleeping the past few days because you took a sleeping potion. You know how I feel about those. They aren't good to take all the time."

"I know, but I promised George I would sleep and I can't do that on my own." He knew his family was worried about him and he appreciated that, but he wished they would stop pestering him about his sleeping and eating habits. He wasn't happy about them either, but he couldn't help it. Even though he knew they missed Scarlett, too, sometimes it felt as if they didn't care or understand at all.

Mrs. Weasley was quiet for another moment. "It's so cold out here, Fred. At least put on a coat."

Fred shook his head. "No, like I said, I'll be coming inside in a minute. You should go in, though, and get warm."

"It's Christmas, Fred," Mrs. Weasley said, as if she were pleading with him. Fred wanted to ask her what she wanted him to do. Did she want him to act as if nothing was wrong? Did she want him to act as if he were happy?

"Yeah, it's Christmas and Scarlett's off locked up somewhere," Fred said, finally half-turning and craning his neck to look at his mother. "That's only going to make me feel worse than I do on a normal day where she's missing. And I don't see the point of me faking happiness simply because it's Christmas."

"I don't want you to fake it," Mrs. Weasley said, lowering herself down so she was sitting next to him. "I just want you to come inside and spend Christmas with the family. At least physically considering you aren't really here mentally." She paused. "We all miss her, Fred."

Fred didn't answer as he continued to draw shapes in the snow.

"Have you talked to Angelina since the two of you broke up?"

Fred glanced up at his mother. "Why are you asking me that?" he asked wearily.

"I was just wondering, well, where exactly the two of you stood."

"I haven't talked to her at all. She was furious at me and I wanted to give her some space, but I have no idea how she feels about me now. Lee still keeps in touch with her and I know she's been busy. She joined Puddlemere United, so she's on the same Quidditch team as Wood, but other than that, I haven't heard much."

"Ah," Mrs. Weasley said. "And you're okay with this?"

Fred shrugged. He wondered what exactly his mother was getting at. "She was a good friend and I wish we were still friends now, but…." He trailed off and stared out at the backyard.

"But you don't regret the breakup?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a smile.

"No, actually, I don't," Fred said, looking at her and blinking a few times. He had never really thought about his feelings towards his breakup with Angelina before. "Is that bad?"

Mrs. Weasley grinned. "No, it's not. I think it just wasn't meant to be."

Fred nodded and looked down at the snow again, returning to swirling the stick around absentmindedly. His realization about his nonchalant feelings towards not dating Angelina had gotten him thinking about how different his relationship with Scarlett was and he was beginning to believe his mother had brought this up on purpose.

"I wish there was something I could do to help," Mrs. Weasley finally sighed. Between you and Scarlett's mother…she's barely said a word all night either, you know."

"It was nice of you to invite her over tonight," Fred said.

"I couldn't let her spend Christmas by herself," Mrs. Weasley said, waving her hand. She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Now I'm going to have to insist that you come inside. You're going to freeze if you stay out here any longer."

Fred sighed and tossed the stick to the ground before standing up. Mrs. Weasley smiled and gently patted his cheek. "Good boy," she said. "I'll even let you open the first present later."

"And have my pick of what radio station we listen to?" Fred asked hopefully.

Mrs. Weasley laughed. "I'm afraid not, Fred dear. Celestina Warbeck is a tradition."

Fred groaned and rolled his eyes.

"One day you'll grow to like her and I'll be able to say I told you so."

"Doubt it."

Mrs. Weasley laughed again and ushered Fred inside. "Come on, let's get dessert served before everyone starts a riot."

Fred cracked the tiniest of smiles and headed inside, feeling completely grateful towards his mother for knowing what he needed, even if he didn't want it.

* * *

Later that night, when everyone had gone to bed, Fred snuck downstairs. He and George were staying at the Burrow that night and Fred hadn't bothered to take a sleeping potion. His mother was right. They weren't exactly the best thing to take every night and besides, they tasted awful. Unsurprisingly, Fred wasn't able to get to sleep, so he found himself getting out of bed and heading for the living room.

Once he was there, he knelt down in front of the Christmas tree. Despite the absence of Scarlett, Ron, Harry and Hermione that Christmas, everyone had gotten them gifts. It just didn't feel right not getting them anything. That would be like acting as if they didn't exist. All four of them should have been celebrating Christmas at the Burrow, but all four of them couldn't under uncontrollable circumstances.

Fred knelt down and crawled over to Scarlett's pile. He traced his hand over the gifts that lay there, stopping when he saw the gift he had bought her. It was her own copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. He thought she would find it funny considering she had claimed to like Muggle fairy tales better. He smiled faintly as he pictured her reaction to the gift before scanning the rest of them. His hand closed over a familiar gift and he smiled a little wider. The gift was familiar because he opened one just like it every year. It was obviously a Weasley sweater. Unable to stop himself, Fred found his hands acting completely on their own accord as he unwrapped the sweater. It wasn't a big deal. He could fix it later. The paper tumbled to the floor as he pulled the sweater free and held it up. It was dark blue with a green 'S' in the middle. Fred sighed as he realized it matched Scarlett's eyes. His mother had obviously done it on purpose.

It was then that Fred felt his throat constricting and tears coming to his eyes. He hadn't really cried since Scarlett had disappeared; he had been too angry and scared at first. But now, in the last hour of Christmas Day, he couldn't stop the tears from falling as he held Scarlett's sweater in his hands. And the one person who could make him feel better was the one person whose absence was making him cry.

* * *

**A/N: I hate seeing a miserable Fred. :( But Scarlett will get out eventually. I'm not going to say anything else until it actually happens, though, but she will get out relatively soon because, let's face it, her being stuck with Umbridge and continuing to have a miserable Fred aren't options.**

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	53. Chapter 53

_"There may be something there that wasn't there before." _

**-Beauty and the Beast**

* * *

"I have never been more anxious before in my entire life," Erica mused. "Not when I took my OWLs, not when I took my NEWTs, not when I first opened my shop, not when I—,"

"We get it," George muttered with a slight grin as he poked Erica in the leg with his foot. He was stretched out on the couch in the flat while Erica perched on the arm of the couch.

"Aren't you two nervous at all?" Erica asked, glancing from George to Fred, who was sitting in the chair beside the couch, drinking a butterbeer and staring at the empty fireplace.

"I don't think there's anything to be nervous about," Fred said shrugging. "It's not like we're going to get anywhere."

"You don't know that," Erica said gently.

Fred simply shrugged again. It was the second week of January and Scarlett's mother had actually agreed to go talk to Umbridge and see if that got them anywhere. The more they all thought about it the less they wanted to just agree to put Scarlett out of a job, especially if it only got them a consideration of handing her over. But at the same time, they wanted to do _something_. So that was how they had gotten to where they were now: waiting in agony in Fred and George's flat for Mrs. Callaway to come back and tell them what happened.

"Maybe something good will come out of this," George said, tilting his head back over the arm of the couch so that he was looking at Fred upside down. "You never know."

"Yeah, maybe," Fred muttered halfheartedly.

George sighed before sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. "She's been there a while," he said as he lowered his arms. "I wonder what's going on."

"Maybe she managed to find Scarlett wherever Umbridge was hiding her," Erica said hopefully.

"Yeah, like Umbridge would let that happen," Fred snorted.

"Must you be so negative?" Erica sighed. "I just really want Scarlett back, okay?"

"So do I, But I'm just being realistic here, and things don't look good so far."

"Well, I think you could still-,"

Erica was interrupted by a popping sound as Scarlett's mother Apparated into the flat, looking worn out.

"How did it go?"

"What happened?"

"What did Umbridge say?"

Fred, George and Erica all immediately jumped to their feet as they bombarded Mrs. Callaway with questions.

She sighed and sat down on the couch before burying her head in her hands. "It was terrible seeing that woman again, first of all," she finally began, looking up at the three people in front of her. "It was so tense knowing that she hates me and for silly reasons. Anyway, I met up with her by the fountain in the Atrium." She paused. "They changed it. Did you know that?"

"No, what did they change it to?" George asked.

"A witch and wizard standing on top of Muggles. And it also has _Magic is Might_ carved into it."

"Disgusting," Erica muttered, shaking her head.

"Anyway," Mrs. Callaway continued, "she took me to a conference room instead of her office…she said her office was raining or something like that. Apparently a lot of offices had been raining." She shrugged.

"Do we believe her?" F red asked. "I mean, she has to be hiding Scarlett somewhere. What if it's in her office and that's the real reason why she wouldn't bring you there?"

"Fred, she's not going to keep Scarlett in her office," Erica sighed. "It wouldn't even be safe to keep her in the Ministry at all. Someone might find her."

"No one would care or even be able to do anything if they did. It's been taken over by Death Eaters," Fred argued.

"What did you two talk about?" George asked Mrs. Callaway, putting an end to Fred and Erica's disagreement. "Did she give you any good information or even a reasonable explanation for what she's doing?"

"Not really," Mrs. Callaway sighed.

"I figured," Fred answered, rolling his eyes.

"She told me that I _had_ to meet her last requirement if I wanted any chance of getting Scarlett back at all. There's no way around it. She won't budge. She also said that the reason for her having to consider giving Scarlett back after I meet the requirements is because she doesn't want me to do anything _stupid_ once I have her back."

"Define _stupid_," Fred said.

"She doesn't want me to start going against the Muggleborn Registration Commission again."

"But there's no way for her to be sure you won't," George said. "And she can't keep hold of Scarlett forever."

"I think that if I did go against her once Scarlett was back, she'd come after us worse than before."

"So if you know that, that should scare you enough and she can give Scarlett back, right?" Erica asked.

"She's afraid we'll not only go against what she's doing, but also go into hiding or something and escape. Mostly, though, I think she's being difficult because she hates me."

Fred sat down in his chair again and sighed heavily. He was getting quite sick of Umbridge making things so hard for them. He didn't understand why she had to keep behaving like a child. He had never felt so trapped and helpless in his life. Even feeling that way about the vow hadn't compared to this. Now, that just seemed petty and he didn't even feel that way about the vow anymore.

"I still don't want to put Scarlett out of a job, though," Mrs. Callaway continued. "It means the world to her and she worked so hard to get it. She wouldn't be happy anywhere else and I wouldn't be able to stand seeing her miserable."

"Well, it's not like she's working now, anyway," Fred sighed.

"Yes, but she'll have her job when she comes back," Erica told him.

"She's not coming back unless we put her out of a job!" Fred exclaimed. "There's no way around it anymore. And even if we do what Umbridge wants, who knows if or when she'll give us Scarlett. We're just trapped. We can't win."

"We're not trapped!" Erica exclaimed. "We're going to get her back and we're going to make sure she can keep her job. What if we meet Umbridge's last requirement, but once Scarlett comes back, she goes and asks to be rehired?"

"It's not that simple," Mrs. Callaway said. "I mean, she could try, but being a Healer at St. Mungo's is a very sought after position. There are always people applying for jobs there and if Scarlett were to quit, they'd be able to hire someone immediately to fill her post, making it difficult for her to get back in. As it is, she's quite lucky she got the position she has when she did."

"You were right, though," Fred said, running his hands over his face. "Seeing Scarlett miserable would break my heart. She wouldn't be the same. You should have seen her back in school when Umbridge had changed her grade and told her she couldn't become a Healer anymore. She tried to hide it, but she was devastated. I would hate to see her like that again."

His words were met with complete silence. No one seemed to know what to say. Fred found that he couldn't sit there without any noise. It just made him anxious, so he stood up and headed for the kitchen. "I'm making tea for whoever wants some."

When he reached the kitchen, he immediately started on the tea. While he was waiting for the kettle, he opened the cupboard and took out four mugs, lining them up on the counter in front of him. Finally, he rested his palms on the counter and stared down at the mugs absentmindedly. He felt like Grawp was sitting on his chest. He had felt that way ever since Scarlett had gone missing, but he felt even worse today, knowing that there most likely wasn't a way to rescue Scarlett without winding up with someone physically or emotionally hurt.

"Need any help?"

Fred turned to see Mrs. Callaway in the doorway. He shook his head. "No, I've got it. Thanks, though." With that, he turned and began tracing his finger along the rim of one of the mugs. He pretended that he didn't know Mrs. Callaway was still behind him, even when, after a moment, she came to stand at the counter beside him. She leaned backwards against it as she crossed her arms and just stared at him. Finally, he moved his eyes from the mugs to her face.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked quietly.

"No reason," she shrugged. There was a pause. "Are you in love with her?"

"With who?" Fred asked.

Mrs. Callaway gave him a look. "Don't play dumb, Fred. You know who I'm talking about."

Fred shrugged and looked down again.

"It certainly seems that way to me," Mrs. Callaway continued. "And I think that you should tell her if you are."

"Well, she isn't here, so it doesn't matter," Fred answered bitterly.

"We're getting her back somehow, Fred. I know it seems as if we're trapped, but do you really think I'm going to let my daughter continue to be held captive by Dolores Umbridge? And, personally, I don't think you'd let it happen either. I don't think you're one to give up so easily."

"I'm not, but if there's no other way to make this work—"

"Like I said, we'll figure something out. And when she comes back, I think you should tell her how you feel."

"I never actually even told _you_ if I loved her, if you remember," Fred answered as the kettle began to whistle. He was thankful for it just so he would have something to do with his hands.

Mrs. Callaway actually smiled. "Maybe you didn't _say_ it exactly, but you've been showing it."

"Okay, so let's say—hypothetically—that I felt the way you seem to think I feel. It still wouldn't matter because she doesn't feel the same way about me."

"And how do you know this?" Mrs. Callaway asked, raising her eyebrows in amusement.

"Because I do," Fred responded, handing her one of the mugs of tea. "I don't think she's ready for that stage of the relationship yet. Back at Harry's birthday party over the summer, she still seemed to be questioning if the two of us would be happy when we were married. That doesn't sound like someone who's in love with me."

"She's her own worst enemy, you know," Mrs. Callaway laughed, staring into her tea. "She thinks things through _way_ too much sometimes." She looked up at Fred. "So if she's not in love with you, or at least _thinks_ she's not in love with you, it's because she convinced herself to feel that way because she thinks it'll be better."

"For who?" Fred asked, taking a sip of his own tea.

Mrs. Callaway shrugged. "For her, for you, for somebody. You know how she is."

"How would her not loving me help anyone?"

Mrs. Callaway shrugged again. "How am I supposed to know exactly what she's thinking?"

"You're her mother."

"Maybe she still thinks your whole relationship is somehow a fluke. Maybe some part of her thinks you're only dating her because you have to get married anyway. Maybe she's worried that you don't love her back. It could be one of those reasons, all of them, or maybe none at all. That's just what I think she could be worried about, but who knows for sure?"

"It's not a fluke," Fred said firmly. "Our relationship, I mean. And I've told her that I truly like her. I'm not dating her because we have to get married."

"I know that. And I was only suggesting things. Like I said, I could be wrong."

Fred didn't answer. He didn't really know why they were having this conversation. All he really knew was that he would do nearly anything to get Scarlett back safe and sound. Not to mention happy. And he didn't know how to do that, which made him feel like a failure.

Seeming to know what he was thinking, Mrs. Callaway comfortingly put a hand on top of his. "I know it feels like there's not much we can do, but like I said, we'll figure something out. Okay?"

Fred nodded. "Okay," he whispered.

Mrs. Callaway cracked a small smile. "Good. I'm glad to see you haven't completely given up yet."

* * *

Scarlett had almost given up. She hated herself for it, but she just didn't see how she was ever going to get out of Umbridge's office. She had lost track of how long she had been there, but she knew it had been a while. Probably months by now. It had grown steadily colder in the little room and that only added to Scarlett's misery. She was still barely sleeping and being given barely enough food and she was being tortured almost every day. Umbridge had been growing increasingly frustrated at the fact that Scarlett's mother refused to meet one of the requirements. Scarlett didn't know what it was—Umbridge hadn't told her—but the knowledge that her mother hadn't fully complied with everything Umbridge had asked made her slightly nervous. What if Umbridge got fed up, decided holding Scarlett captive wasn't working, and then went after her mother?

Scarlett had to wonder if she'd even have any way of knowing. Umbridge never gave her any information, even if Scarlett begged her. Scarlett had no idea what was happening with the rest of the wizarding world and it was driving her crazy. As if being locked up in a freezing cold, tiny, stone room with hardly any food wasn't enough. Scarlett wasn't sure how long she was going to last. She constantly ached from the torture and from lying on the stone floor all day, she was always hungry, she was cold, and she was tired, despite the fact that sometimes Umbridge's torture would leave her slipping in and out of consciousness for a few hours.

Basically, Scarlett was scared that she wouldn't survive long enough to be rescued. She knew that her people were trying to rescue her, but she also knew that Umbridge had probably made it nearly impossible. Scarlett worried that by the time someone did figure out a rescue plan, she'd be long gone. And so would Fred. She hated herself for that. If she hadn't been so _worried_ and _stupid_, they probably could've been married by now. If they hadn't wasted so much time, she wouldn't have had to worry about Fred dying once she did. But she had worried and she had wasted time, and now she had gone and gotten herself captured and Fred was going to die because of it. She wished there was a way for her to tell him how sorry she was. She wished there was a way to tell his _family_ how sorry she was.

Scarlett felt her throat constricting and she curled into a ball as tears leaked out of her eyes. She had no idea what she was going to do. The only thing she could think of was to just hope that someone would rescue her soon before her worries ended up coming true.


End file.
